To Save a Sinner
by chellethebelle
Summary: AU/AH: Damon Salvatore, the new star swimmer and transfer student at MFU, befriends the dark and mysterious Elena Gilbert, a girl the rest of Mystic Falls considers crazy. When he discovers the deep, haunting secrets she keeps from the world, can he handle the truth or will it cost him his heart and even possibly, his sanity?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello again! I didn't think I'd be back so soon with a new fic, but this idea caught me and wouldn't let go until I started writing.**

**A big, HUGE thank you goes to Layla Reyne who is such an amazing beta. She helped me with everything from the title, to the summary, to even placement of different scenes. I'd wither and die without her.**

**Also a thank you goes to Kate, ThisIsMyEscape for prereading everything for me. And for inspiring me to really go in deep on this one.**

**In this story, Elena will seem very OOC at times, but it's all in my master plan. This story is projected to have a sequel and could possibly be a trilogy. TSAS will get pretty heavy at times and deals with quite a few dark subjects. So beware. And if you've read any of my previous stories, there will be angst.**

**Rated M for language and adult situations.**

* * *

"Damon Salvatore?"

Damon glanced up from his book and made eye contact with a middle-aged woman holding a folder full of papers. He placed his bookmark between the pages, snapped his book shut and rose from his seat, slinging his messenger bag over his shoulder as he walked over to where she stood.

"I'm Carol Lockwood," she said, holding out her hand. "I'll be going over your schedule with you today."

He shook Mrs. Lockwood's outstretched hand and followed her past the admissions desks and into the back where there were rows and rows of cubicles. Hers was near the back, with a window that let in the Virginia sun.

"Please have a seat, Mr. Salvatore," she said, indicating to the empty chair across from her desk.

While she rifled through her folder of papers, Damon took in the small cubicle. There were pictures of who he assumed was her son and her husband. There was also plenty of MFU memorabilia. In fact, her small space looked like someone had puked black and crimson all over it. Technically, Mystic Falls University wasn't even _in_ Mystic Falls, but who was he to complain? The school was giving him a full ride for his senior year so that he'd swim for them, and he wasn't saying no to a full ride and a spot on the number one nationally-ranked swim team. The school may have been small, but it could kick some serious ass in the pool.

"Okay, I have your transcripts from the University of Tennessee, and it looks like everything transfers correctly, though you still need a Life Science credit, but you can get that knocked out this semester," she said, a pair of glasses balancing precariously on the tip of her nose. "Just give me a few minutes, and I'll have your schedule printed right up."

He nodded at her and sat back in the chair, trying to look at anything but black and red and failing miserably. He reminded himself of what an opportunity this was. It was a chance to get away from his asshole of a father, break off an engagement that he wasn't fully committed to any longer, and move far away from home with his little brother, Stefan, who was also offered a full ride.

"Here you go," Mrs. Lockwood said, handing over a small stack of papers all stapled together. "This is your schedule, a list of the rooms where your classes are held, a campus map and your meal card."

"Thank you," Damon replied as politely as possible, when he really just wanted to get out of there and to the pool.

He stuffed the papers in his bag, including the map, because, compared to UT, this place was tiny. He'd find his way around easy enough, and he didn't want to call attention to himself as the new guy. He hitched his bag over his shoulder and exited the administration building, heading straight for the pool. Thank God there was somewhere he belonged in this quiet little town. It was nothing like Knoxville, but he didn't mind that so much. He needed a change and a change is what he got.

The campus was overrun with green. Vines crawled up the walls of the old brick buildings, the trees were huge and their roots stretched across the grass, even pushing up some of the concrete sidewalks that lined the main quad. The place looked like a smaller version of the Harvard campus. It was beautiful here; he had to give them that. It was like entering a whole other world.

The late summer sun was warm and the humidity was pretty killer, but there was plenty of shade as he walked through campus. He only had to survive here for a year and then he could do anything he wanted, live anywhere he wanted. He couldn't wait. And really MFU wasn't so bad. After being practically disowned by his father, he didn't have enough money saved to finish school at UT, so when this scholarship came along, it was an easy answer to all of his problems.

Damon's father wanted him primed and ready to take his place as CEO of Salvatore Hotels. It was the very last thing Damon wanted for his future. True, he loved to travel, but he wanted to be in places rich with history and culture, not tourist traps that only boasted a blue ocean and sandy beaches. He didn't want to put on a three-piece tailored suit every day and discuss all-inclusive resorts; he wanted to wear his jeans and boots while teaching students to think outside of five-star hotels. He wanted to teach them to dig deeper, look harder, do their research, and really learn something. The last place Damon wanted to be was cooped up in some stuffy conference room breathing recycled air. It wasn't what he loved. It wasn't what he wanted.

He made his way to the aquatic center, changed and stored his things in the locker room and then stepped out onto the pool deck and dove straight into the water. Swimming was his release, the only way he could escape life for just a little while. It started when he was a kid, right after Damon's mother died. His father couldn't stand to look at him, because he reminded him too much of her. As a kid, he loved and idolized his father, and he hated seeing him in pain, especially when Damon knew it was because of him. He started to hate being at home, even to the point that when school let out for summer, Damon counted down the days until classes were back in session. So he spent the long summer days at the local pool or the swimming hole near his house. He would swim and swim until the streetlights came on, and he knew he had to head home. When he was out swimming, he actually felt normal, like he was any other kid.

And so, finding himself in a place he'd never been, surrounded by people he'd never met, he did the only thing he knew. He swam.

* * *

Damon's first appointment on Monday morning was with a Professor Saltzman. On Friday afternoon, he'd received an email asking if he was willing to TA for a History professor whose assistant dropped out at the last minute. He'd immediately said yes. It was an awesome opportunity to assist any professor, but one doing the same thing he wanted to do… He couldn't have said no.

Professor Saltzman's office was like a library. A very small, very messy library. There were books shoved haphazardly into bookcases and knickknacks and souvenirs dotted all the available surface space. The large desk in the middle of the room was covered in papers and open books.

"Professor Saltzman?"

The sandy-haired man in the midst of the mess whirled around at the sound of his name. He was much younger than Damon imagined; he looked only a few years older than himself.

"Are you Mr..." He looked down at one of the papers on his desk. "Sal-va-tore?"

"Damon," he supplied, holding his hand out between them.

"Pleased to meet you," Professor Saltzman said with a gruff grin. "You can call me Alaric or Ric, whichever. Thank you for accepting this position on such short notice. My original TA dropped out just before I was informed that I had a new student transferring into the department. Works out for both of us, I guess."

"I'm happy to do it. How can I help?" Damon asked, glancing around the cluttered office, wondering where they'd even start.

Alaric rifled through the papers on his desk before finding a giant stack and handing it to Damon. "I promise the jobs will be more entertaining than this, but can you staple these copies of the syllabus together?"

Damon nodded and took a seat to get started. Alaric chatted happily while he desperately tried to get organized. Damon appreciated Alaric's laid back personality, but his laid back organizational system needed some serious help. Alaric told Damon that he'd just started working at MFU last semester. He, too, moved to Mystic Falls from a large city. It was a relief for Damon to find someone he had common ground with, even if it was a Professor.

"So, how do you like living in this tiny town?" Damon asked, having moved onto getting Ric's filling cabinets in order.

"I love it. It's really rich in history," Alaric said, getting so caught up in what he was saying that he completely abandoned the mess on his desk, leaning forward on his elbows, right on top of the papers. "Did you know there are still families that live here whose ancestors actually founded the town?"

Damon stopped what he was doing, also getting distracted from the mess of Ric's office. "I had no idea."

"And it was said that, at one point in the mid-1800's, the town was crawling with vampires. So much so that the town banded together to lock the vampires up in an old church and burn the place to the ground," Alaric said, his eyes lighting up with enough excitement to fill the small office and to stoke Damon's curiosity. He was such a sucker for places with old stories like those. It was exhilarating to him to hear the stories and folklore behind any place and wonder if they were true or not.

By the time he left Alaric's office, he was much more excited about living in Mystic Falls. He couldn't wait to find out more about the town, the folklore, the history, the people, all of it. Though by lunchtime, Damon found himself at a table full of his teammates wondering how he never noticed before that this place was basically a high school with ashtrays. The students gossiped like high schoolers, even hung out in cliques like high schoolers. It was all very entertaining to watch, for about five minutes.

"Dude, you'll never guess who just walked in," his teammate, Matt, said, hitting his other teammate, Tyler - son of his academic advisor - in the arm. Damon glanced around the dining hall, trying to catch a glimpse of the person they were talking about. All he saw was the most beautiful girl he'd ever laid eyes on. The first thing he noticed, after tearing his gaze away from her face, was that she was in a long sleeved shirt and jeans. In September. It wasn't even close to being chilly out, especially not in the middle of the afternoon.

"You've gotta be shitting me!" Tyler gasped under his breath, but Damon barely registered his words. He was too enthralled by the girl with long brown hair and big brown eyes. She walked through the room as if she owned it, yet glares and whispers seemed to follow her every step.

"I can't believe she'd show her face here again," someone else muttered and Damon turned back to his teammates, realizing they were all watching the same girl as him. Only their reactions were almost the complete opposite of his. He looked back at her and watched while she ordered her lunch.

"Who is she?" Damon asked, still keeping his eyes on her as she crossed the room with a tray full of food and placed it on an empty table, sitting by herself and not looking the slightest bit fazed by it.

"Someone you want to stay far, far away from," Tyler said, still shooting her death glares that made Damon want to punch him in the jaw.

"She looks harmless to me," Damon replied, watching as she flipped her hair over a shoulder and dug into her food, seemingly still without a care in the world despite the entire student population avoiding her like the plague. Every nerve ending in his body stood at attention.

"That's what everyone thinks at first, and she used to be harmless," Tyler said, shaking his head, ashamed. "We dated for a while last year. It was cool and the sex was insane, but the chick has issues. She'd show up at my place in the middle of the night, she'd never talk about her family, and she was always so secretive. I got tired of it and dumped her. She got pissed and slept with half of the school."

"Sounds like a woman scorned to me," Damon said, still not seeing the same girl as them.

"That's not the half of it," Tyler continued, leaning in like he was getting to the good part. "One day in class last year, some chicks were talking about what a slut she'd become and she flipped the fuck out. Just started screaming, crying and breathing all funny, and then she threatened to open a vein right there in the middle of class. They had to call in an ambulance to take her away, and she spent the summer in the psychiatric ward down at MF General."

Okay, now he was beginning to understand. Sort of.

"All that, just over a break up?" Damon asked, earning himself several looks that suggested he was the crazy one.

"Like I said, the girl is crazy, and I wish I would've seen it sooner," Tyler finished, holding his hands up indicating he'd washed his hands of her. "Stay away from that chick. The sex may be explosive, but she is certifiably insane. I'm surprised she even showed her face here again."

His teammates all nodded their heads in agreement, and Damon glanced back over his shoulder at the girl they claimed was crazy. He looked hard, studying her face and body language, but he couldn't see what the rest of them saw. She seemed perfectly normal, not to mention drop dead gorgeous. In fact, her appearance combined with Tyler's claim that she was insane in the sack was making certain parts of his anatomy really uncomfortable in his jeans. He needed to get a hold of himself.

The guys resumed talking about whatever collegiate douche bags talked about, but Damon couldn't take his eyes or mind off of her. If what they said about her was true, it must've been hard showing her face again in this school where everyone knew everyone else's business. But there she was, looking like she didn't give a flying fuck about everyone else. He already liked her.

Damon forced his mind away from the mysterious crazy girl when he realized he had about six minutes to high tail it to his next class. He dumped his trash and grunted a "later" to his teammates before hauling ass to the Biology building. He filed into the auditorium style classroom and wondered if the entire student body could fit in here. He was being dramatic, but it was an awfully large classroom, totally unlike the ones he had been in earlier that day. The student population here wasn't really _that_ low, but after coming from a school like UT, it was a huge difference.

Damon took a seat in the middle row, at about the center of the classroom and the projector screen, and absentmindedly watched the class fill up. To his pleasant surprise, the mystery girl entered through the door right behind the professor. She walked into the classroom like she walked into the dining hall, as if she owned the damn place. Mystery girl sat herself in the front row, exactly six rows in front of him.

"Good afternoon. I'm Professor Mullins and this is Human Anatomy and Physiology. Class Number 22393. If that's not the class you signed up for, then I'd advise you to leave now." Their nerdy-looking professor glanced around expectantly and seemed pleased when no one got up to leave his class. "Alright, this is going to be a tough semester, so I've assigned you all a study partner who will also be your lab partner."

He pulled out a sheet of paper. "When I call your name, find your partner, and take a few minutes to get to know them, because they will be your lifeline for this class. If your partner is not here, please come see me." Then he set to work listing off last names of those who'd be partnered up.

"Salvatore paired with Gilbert," he said, and Damon glanced around the room to find a pair of big doe eyes staring up at him. He wasn't sure whether to be excited or horrified. He was paired with a girl who was rumored to be insane, even if she was the most gorgeous girl he'd ever seen. Despite the warnings from his teammates, his heart rate picked up knowing he'd have an excuse to be near her all semester.

She kept staring at him, and a few seconds later it clicked that she was waiting for him to move his ass down to the front row.

"Hi," Damon said, plopping himself into the fold down seat next to her.

"Hey," she replied, her voice sounding like music. Oh God, he would gladly listen to her read him the phonebook with that voice.

"Damon." He held his hand out, and she shook it with a small smile turning up the corners of her mouth. Up close, he got the full effect of her beauty. She had big dark brown eyes, full beautiful lips and olive toned skin that begged him to reach out and touch it to see if it was as soft as it looked.

"Elena." Even her name sounded like music.

"You a Biology major?" He asked quietly while the professor continued to read out partner assignments.

She gave a smirk. "Nope. Journalism. You?"

"History," Damon replied, a matching smirk on his lips. "Looks like we're screwed."

"As long as you are good with the lecture portion, we'll survive. I'm great at memorizing, so I'll take care of us in lab, but horrible at scientific concepts," she said with a light laugh. He was totally enthralled, all thoughts of her questionable mental state chased from his mind.

"I think I can handle lecture," he replied.

Her smile grew bigger, more genuine. "Then I think this is the beginning of a beautiful partnership."

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**Thank you so much for stopping by to read.**

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**Reviews are like free candy for authors. See you next time...**


	2. Chapter 2

**Welcome back! I'm seriously floored by all the reviews. I think it's a record for most reviews on a first chapter for me. Thank you!**

**A huge thanks goes to Layla Reyne who does an amazing job seeing things I don't and making sure this story reaches its full potential. And to Kate, ThisIsMyEscape, for prereading all of this for me.**

**Also, notice my AWESOME story cover. The wonderfully talented, Nitsi (sm0lderhalders on Twitter) made it. It's so amazing. THANK YOU. **

**I didn't mention that this story is going to be AU/H, so no vampires and werewolves, only those that exist in Alaric's folklore tales.**

**Enjoy!**

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Elena smiled. And not her usual sarcastic, forced, cold smile. It was a smile that made her feel something. It wasn't something she could name or something she felt like identifying at the moment, but it was at least something more than feeling nothing but pain for the past two years.

Damon smiled back at her and that feeling that broke through the numbness swelled again. His bright blue eyes were captivating, and she found it hard to look away from them when the professor called the class to order. Damon turned his attention toward the front of the room, while she studied him a moment longer. There was no denying that he was attractive. His dark hair and flawless pale skin were as distracting as his eyes. He obviously wasn't from around here, not only because she'd never seen him before, but also because he held himself differently than the people she'd grown up with in Mystic Falls.

When the classroom lights dimmed and the projector came to life, she reluctantly tore her gaze from Damon's profile. She looked over the syllabus that was passed out and took notes as best she could.

After lecture was over, Damon was right by her side. She listened to him playfully gripe about how small the campus was and his other first impressions of MFU, but that didn't mean she missed the menacing glares the other people in the halls shot her, or the crude words they uttered under their breaths behind her back. Didn't they have anything better to talk about? Who was she kidding? Her dramatic psychological breakdown would be the talk of the town for years. She couldn't wait until her little brother, Jeremy, graduated high school, and she could get them both the hell out of there.

"Elena!" Oh, how she hated hearing that voice in the school hallways. She and Damon both turned to see Professor Shane approaching.

"Hi," she greeted, unsure why he was hunting her down at school when he'd just seen her a few days ago.

"How's your first day going?" he asked, completely oblivious to Damon's presence.

"Fine," she answered with a shrug, hating how concerned he sounded. Emotion was not part of their deal. "Well, we gotta get to class."

Professor Shane's whole demeanor changed as he sized up Damon. Elena had to resist the urge to roll her eyes.

"Professor Shane, I work in the English department," he said, introducing himself and holding out a hand to Damon.

"Damon Salvatore, transfer student," Damon replied, shaking Professor Shane's hand. She could see wariness in Damon's eyes, as if he didn't trust the man standing in front of him. Elena knew Professor Shane was harmless. True, he had a skewed moral compass, but who was she to judge.

"I'll see you later, Elena," Professor Shane said with a small smile before he continued down the hall.

An awkward silence descended before Damon broke it. "Is he always like that?"

She shrugged. "He's not so bad." She wasn't sure why she felt the need to defend Professor Shane. They had a mutually beneficial relationship and that was it, nothing more.

She welcomed the start of their anatomy lab. She liked to learn. It helped take her mind off of the incredibly crappy life she was living. And she'd have to count on her education when she finally took Jeremy away from the hell of a home they lived in.

"What days are you free to study?" Damon asked, as they exited the life sciences building. "How do Fridays after lecture sound?"

"Sounds good," she said with a nod. "See you later, Damon."

"See you at lecture on Wednesday," he said, a smirk pulling up one side of his mouth.

Her drive home was short, some days it was too short. The only reason she kept coming back was Jeremy. She would do whatever it took to protect him. She parked her car, grabbed her bag, and headed up the steps to the house that she used to love. It was a large colonial style home with a wide front porch, complete with columns. She used to love this house, being in it, and everything about it. Now, every time she walked through the front door, she braced herself for the worst.

This afternoon, she only found Jeremy at home, sitting at the kitchen table alone, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Despite the fact that he towered over her now and could easily bench-press her, she still looked at him and saw her little brother. Her baby brother.

"Hey, Jer," she greeted, dropping her bag into an empty seat and heading for the fridge. "How was school today?" She pulled out the items she needed to make them Italian subs, Jeremy's favorite.

"It was school," he said with a shrug before his face turned serious. "Elena, I have late practice tonight. Do you have somewhere you can be?"

Her heart sank. She knew exactly what he was getting at. If Jeremy had late practice, that left her home alone with their father. Things were always worse when Jeremy wasn't there. She'd have bruises for days. And she was so looking forward to wearing some summer clothes this week.

Instead of answering his question, she asked, "Is John home yet?"

Jeremy's stern expression didn't waver. "You know Dad hates it when you call him that."

She rolled her eyes, slicing open the sub sandwich rolls and loading them up with meats and cheese. "I know. He does something I hate, I do something he hates."

"Don't talk like it's not a big deal, Elena," he said softly. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She hated hurting his feelings when all he was doing was looking out for her. She popped their sandwiches in the oven and set the heat high enough to melt the cheese before she crossed the kitchen and slid into the seat beside him.

"I'm sorry, Jer," she said seriously, hating the mixture of pain and fear in his brown eyes. "But you listen to me, we have less than a year until we are out of here, okay?"

He nodded because he knew the plan. They'd talked about it enough. Usually late at night, after one of their father's tirades. She'd first shared it with him on the night they'd tried to make a report to the police, which had been a mistake, since their father was the head of the Mystic Falls Police Department. He had found out, swept it under the rug, and then come home to make sure they'd never do it again. Elena had formed her plan long before then, but that was the night she'd finally let him Jeremy in on it. They wouldn't wait until Elena graduated college even though their father was footing the bill. Once Jeremy was finished with high school, they'd pick up and move. Anywhere in the world, she had told him. Anywhere as long as it was far away from him.

"I wish Mom was still here. She would've protected us," he said sadly, but Elena knew the truth. Their mother had been a lost cause long before she'd died, but Jeremy didn't need to have his view of both of his parents tainted.

"I know, but we'll be fine - just you and me. He won't hurt you, I promise," she said, wrapping her hand around his and holding onto him like he was her only lifeline.

He squeezed her hand back, "It's not me that I worry about."

* * *

"Let's try this again," Elena said, stifling a smile at Damon's obvious irritation. They were in the library for their first official study session as partners. She held up the diagram of the leg muscles, more specifically, the muscles of the hip, which were some of the most confusing muscles to name.

"Piriformis," he answered confidently.

"Good!" she exclaimed, the smile she'd been holding back now sitting wide on her face. His answering smile was much more subdued, but there was something in his eyes that made her cheeks flush and her stomach tighten. "Okay," she continued, trying to distract herself from all of the things she was feeling. "Next one down is...?"

"Gemellus superior."

"Perfect," she said, avoiding his eyes. "Next."

She knew this was where he got screwed up. She watched him stare down at his hands on the top of the library table. She could practically see the gears turning in his head as he searched for the name of the muscle. "Gemellus inferior?" he asked, with less confidence than before.

"No," Elena replied as gently as she could. "Remember the obturator internus muscle is between the Gemellus superior and inferior."

"Ugh," Damon groaned, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands. "Can we move onto lecture now so I can feel like the smart one?"

She giggled. Actually giggled, like some sort of schoolgirl. Over the past few days, he'd been nicer to her than anyone else on the campus other than Professor Shane, but he had other reasons to be nice to her. Damon was nice simply because it seemed to be who he was as a person.

"Better yet," Damon continued. "How about we call it a night and go grab some dinner?"

"Are you asking the crazy girl to dinner?" she replied sarcastically.

His playful expression sobered. "I don't think you're crazy."

"The rest of the school does," she stated simply.

"You don't seem like the type who cares what they think."

"Maybe I am crazy," she challenged, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Maybe you are," he replied with a shrug. It wasn't just his words that caught her off guard, but the way he said them. Like he couldn't care less if she truly was crazy. She didn't know how to process that. She'd gotten so used to pretending that she didn't care, that she wasn't lonely, that she didn't want a friend.

"Geez, would you shut up and take me to dinner already?" she joked with a smile, not wanting to dissect her feelings any further.

He chuckled and gathered his books into his messenger bag, slung it over his shoulder and headed out of the library. Elena stuffed her notes into her backpack and hurried to follow him.

Damon drove them in his baby blue Camaro, since she'd let Jeremy use the car that day and had walked to campus. She told him about a burger joint a few miles out of town and ten minutes later, they settled into one of the well-loved booths in the run-down restaurant. It held some of her best memories as a kid. Back when her family was happy and whole, they'd come here on special occasions and sometimes they'd even made up a special occasion as an excuse for a night out.

"So, what's your story?" Elena asked, leaning back in the booth after placing her usual order - a double cheeseburger, no mustard, no pickles.

"There's not much of a story," he replied after ordering himself - a double cheeseburger, extra pickles. "I transferred here from Tennessee to swim. My little brother, Stefan, came with."

"Why history?" she asked, referring to his chosen major.

"My mom was a storyteller," he explained, his eyes lighting up as he spoke. "She'd tell me all sorts of stories about our ancestors, the places they lived, how they contributed to their society. I just fell in love with the fact that everything and everyone has a history."

"What happened to your mom?" she asked, noticing both the way he spoke of her with such reverence and the loss plainly written on his face.

"I lost my mom, when I was six, to breast cancer," he answered, unfazed by the question.

"Cancer sucks," Elena replied, knowing that there was not enough 'I'm sorry's' in the world to bring back a loved one or make it hurt less.

"Agreed," he said, lifting his soda to her in a mock toast and then taking a sip. "I miss her, but it was a long time ago."

"I lost mine too. Last year." She wasn't sure what prompted her to tell him that. She didn't talk about her mother. Ever.

"Cancer?"

"No. Suicide."

His jaw dropped open, clearly thrown by her response. "Are you serious?"

If only he knew how serious it was, but she wouldn't tell him. She was surprised she'd told him as much as she had.

She nodded before taking a sip of her Dr. Pepper - her weakness.

"That's horrible," he said, collapsing back into his seat as if the information was weighing heavily on his shoulders.

"Yeah, well, life goes on," she replied just as the waitress approached with their food. Her stomach growled when her plate was placed in front of her.

She glanced up to see Damon's eyes nearly bug out of his skull. She chuckled at his reaction to the heaping portions of food, which was very similar to hers when she'd first eaten here. They ate in silence for a few moments before Damon spoke up again.

"Have you lived in Mystic Falls long?"

She chewed the too-big bite she took and swallowed before answering. "All my life. The Gilberts are one of the town's founding families."

"You never wanted to live anywhere else?" he asked right before stuffing a few fries in his mouth.

She shook her head while she swirled a french fry in her ketchup. "This is where my little brother is."

They ate in silence for another few minutes, both devouring their giant burgers.

"How old is your brother?"

"Seventeen," Elena answered with a small smile, feeling like a proud parent when any conversation led to Jeremy. "He's a senior in high school."

"Does he play any sports?" Damon asked.

"He plays football. What about your brother?" she asked, picking at the few fries left on her plate.

"Stefan is a freshman," Damon answered. "He's on a baseball scholarship."

"Are you two close?"

He smiled a mischievous smile, one that made her wonder about all the tiffs and trouble they'd gotten into together throughout their lives. "As close as two brother can be. We fight, get pissed at each other, but we always have each other's back."

The waitress dropped off their check and before she could reach for it, Damon was already slipping enough bills inside to cover their tab. He raised an eyebrow as if daring her to fight him on it. Typically she would, but before she could, she caught a glimpse of the time on the wall clock.

"Shit!" she cursed under her breath. She started gathering her stuff as her mind ran though all the ways she could possibly get to the high school in time without a car.

"What? Is everything okay?" Damon asked, alarmed.

"I'm late to my brother's first game of the year," she explained quickly. He followed her out of the booth and to the parking lot. "I didn't drive to school today, so there's no way I'll get there in time for kickoff."

"I'll take you," Damon volunteered, gesturing to his car.

"No, I couldn't ask you to do that," she said, adamantly shaking her head.

"C'mon, Elena." He opened the passenger door and nudged her toward it. "I love football, and seriously, it's not a big deal."

She held her ground only a few moments before she caved. If it was anything else, she would've said no, but it was Jeremy. His last first game of the year and he was starting. She couldn't miss it. Wouldn't miss it.

* * *

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	3. Chapter 3

**Hello again! Thank you, thank you for all the review! I'm sorry I haven't been able to get around to replying to them individually because I just got accepted to school and I've been trying to get all of that arranged. I'll be moving in just over a month! So crazy!**

**Thanks to Kate (This Is My Escape) for her pre-reading powers. And especially to Layla Reyne for being a kick ass beta. She's phenomenal and working on her own fic that I'm SO excited about.**

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Damon had been to high school football games before. He'd been to many, many of them, but never one like this. The entire town was there, but that wasn't what really stuck out to him. It was that every single person in attendance was rabidly cheering for his or her team. The stands were packed with people chanting, yelling and cheering. He'd never heard such a collectively vocal audience. He seemed to be the only one there who didn't know the appropriate chants and hand gestures. For her part, Elena sang along with the school fight song, seemed to know every chant that the cheerleaders led and yelled for Jeremy so loudly that he was sure she'd lose her voice.

The girl he'd seen at school was reserved, hidden behind a thick-armed wall. But here, tonight, she was a proud big sister, a carefree college student, and the girl he couldn't take his eyes off of. There was so much more to her than he'd expected, and he knew there was more he'd yet to uncover. He couldn't shake the feeling that the rumors about her held some truth, but he suspected that the truth behind her actions was much, much darker than anyone knew. He could see it brewing in her eyes. Her mother had recently committed suicide for crying out loud.

"CATCH IT, JER!" Elena yelled from beside him, her knee bouncing nervously as she sat rigid in the bleachers.

Her hands were twisting nervously in her lap as she watched her brother with wide eyes. He placed his hand gently on her knee. Her whole frame froze, and she cautiously eyed the place where he'd laid his hand. He could feel the warmth of her skin though her jeans.

"Relax, he's doing great."

When her eyes met his, he saw a brief flash of vulnerability before she shoved it back and gave him a hesitant smile. She turned her attention back to the game, as the minutes left in the fourth quarter were slowly counting down and the crowd was getting increasingly rowdy. Mystic Falls High was down by three points, and they needed a big play in order to win the game.

Elena yelled and hollered and jumped when Jeremy, who had been substituted in on defense, intercepted the ball on the next possession and ran it fifteen yards toward their end zone. Damon couldn't help himself; he was on his feet and cheering right along with her. The pressure mounted as the seconds ticked down and MFH moved closer and closer to their end zone. Finally, with a hail-Mary pass thrown up into the end zone , Jeremy caught it, ending the game with a miraculous touchdown. The crowd went absolutely wild, and he was wondering if they'd collapse the bleachers with all the jumping and stomping they were doing.

"Oh my God! Oh my God!" Elena screamed, jumping up and down and clapping her hands. Her smile was radiant. She wasn't even smiling at him, but it still managed warmed him inside and out. Elena clapped along with the fight song one last time before the crowd started to empty out of the bleachers.

He followed Elena toward the locker rooms where everyone waited for the players. He didn't miss the looks that people gave Elena when she passed them. He found it hard to believe that such a tight knit community could turn so rabidly against one of their own. Maybe he was blind, or just stupid, but he failed to see what they saw. He couldn't see the girl his teammates described, much less the girl who deserved so much hatred from an entire town.

"Elena!"

Damon turned to see a tall, muscular teen coming toward them. His brown hair was short and spiky and wet from a shower. He had the same dark brown eyes as Elena, and Damon figured him immediately for her younger brother.

Jeremy scooped his sister into his arms as she told him what an amazing game he'd played. He lifted her feet off the ground, causing her to protest through her smile. He finally dropped her to her feet and curiously glanced over at Damon.

"Jeremy, this is my friend from school, Damon. He just moved here," she said, gesturing to him. He held his hand out between them.

Jeremy shook it with a big grin. "Nice to meet you. I've never met any of Elena's friends. I was starting to wonder if she had any at all."

Damon smiled even though he was uncomfortable with the far too accurate jab, but Elena just laughed it off and shoved her shoulder into her brother, who didn't budge an inch.

They chatted about the game for a few minutes before Jeremy took Elena by the arm and pulled her a few steps away. Damon could still hear them, though he tried to ignore their conversation.

"I'm staying at Keith's tonight," he said, the concern in his voice seemingly out of place given their previously cheerful conversation.

"Okay, his parents will be there, right?" Elena asked, and Damon couldn't help but smile at how much she sounded like a mother hen.

"Yeah, but that's not why I was telling you," Jeremy said, sounding exasperated with his sister. "Do you have somewhere else you can stay tonight? I don't want you in that house with him by yourself."

Jeremy's words and the urgency in his voice gave Damon a bad feeling. He had no idea to what Jeremy was referring, but something was telling Damon that it wasn't good.

"I'll be fine, Jer. I can take care of myself, okay?" Elena replied with a sign. "Don't you dare think about canceling your plans for me."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jeremy take a deep breath and nod before they pulled him back into conversation.

The drive to Elena's house was short and quiet except for her brief interruptions to give him directions. He pulled up to a large colonial house with an impressive porch. There was a light on in one of the front windows and that sinking feeling Damon had earlier came roaring back.

She sat quietly for a moment as he put his car in park, just staring out the car window. "I hate that house."

Her words were uttered so softly that he almost didn't hear her, but then Jeremy's words from earlier echoed in his mind again.

"Do you need somewhere to stay tonight?" Damon asked carefully, unsure of how she'd respond. She turned her big brown eyes up to him and just stared, that flash of vulnerability appearing again for a few seconds before retreating back behind her protective barriers.

The fear in her eyes vanished as she straightened her shoulders and pushed herself out of his car. "I'll be fine. Thank you for the ride."

"See you Monday," he said, as she shut the door. He watched her walk up the porch steps and disappear into the dimly lit house, unable to drive away the feeling that he should have never let her walk through her front door.

Damon's worry stayed with him all weekend. He hadn't been able to shake the feeling of foreboding he'd had ever since he'd dropped Elena off at her house on Friday night. He couldn't stop thinking about her, period. When his mind wasn't consumed with worry, he thought about her at the football game. How carefree and happy she had been when cheering on her brother. He felt like he'd gotten to witness a side of her that she kept hidden most of the time.

* * *

By the time Monday rolled around, he was anxiously looking forward to at least seeing her at lunch to confirm that she was okay and that he'd been worrying for nothing. He kept an eye on the door as he ate his lunch, but she never showed. He wondered if maybe she ate her lunch at a different table today, or maybe he had missed her walk in, so he scanned the room again. No, she definitely wasn't there.

He hardly paid his teammates any attention, or the girls who were shamelessly flirting with him, unable to get the hint that he wasn't interested. He stared at the clock on the wall, the time seeming to slow to an unbearable pace. He just wanted to get to class to see if Elena would be there.

The moment he found an appropriate time to bail out of the dining hall, he was gone. He forced himself to walk at a normal pace toward his class, telling himself again that he was worried for nothing over a girl he'd just met. He knew nothing about Elena, only what he'd heard in rumors from others and what he'd learned himself over the past week. It was hardly enough to justify feeling like he did about her.

He sat in the seat he'd come to know as his, right next to Elena's, in the front and center of the classroom. He distracted himself by going over his notes and anatomy diagrams, so he wasn't staring at the door and trying to will her to walk through it.

When their professor walked in, dimmed the lights and started the projector, he knew she wasn't going to show. He paid close attention to the lecture, taking down as detailed notes as possible. He survived lab only because he had the diagrams Elena had annotated for him.

He was relieved when he was out of lab, his last class of the day. He had every intention of driving straight back to the apartment he shared with Stefan, but somehow he ended up parked out in front of that large colonial. He knew he was losing it. He didn't know this girl, didn't have any business stopping by her house to check up on her. He could justify it though, reminding himself that he took very good notes for her to copy so she wouldn't fall behind in class. He was just being a good partner, right?

That's what he kept repeating to himself as he strode up the front walk, climbed the porch steps and knocked on the front door. He almost turned and walked away right as the door swung open. He looked up to see those large brown eyes staring up at him in surprise and a little... anger?

"What are you doing here?" Elena hissed, stepping out onto the porch and forcing him to back up a few steps. She crossed her arms over her chest and her oversized sweater fell off her shoulder, revealing a nasty purple bruise. That sinking feeling that something wasn't quite right came roaring back.

"What happened?" he asked, unable to take his eyes off the dark mark.

A look of panic washed over her face as she scrambled to pull the sleeve up.

"You really shouldn't be here," she snapped, glaring at him, but it hardly registered with him. All he could think about was that bruise. There was something different about her today; it was like she was a whole other person. He'd gotten a glimpse behind the facade she'd built, but every trace of that girl was gone.

"I just wanted to bring you the notes from lecture and lab today," he replied, pulling out the papers from his messenger bag. Her eyes seemed to soften as she took the notes from his hand.

"Sorry, I'm being rude. It just isn't a good time right now," she said, sounding as exhausted as she looked. Before he could reply, a black SUV pulled into the driveway. Elena froze and fear flashed through her eyes. Damon watched a man get out of the car and stare at the two of them with barely concealed menace. He wasn't particularly tall, but he wore his police badge as if it made him seem more dangerous. He had short sandy blonde hair, totally unlike Elena's long brown locks.

"Elena," he said shortly. "Who is your friend?"

"Damon," he spoke up, offering his hand to the man. He didn't spare Damon as much as a glance. He only glared at Elena.

"I asked Elena," he seethed condescendingly. Damon watched Elena wilt under the man's gaze before steeling herself up.

"Damon is perfectly capable of introducing himself, Dad." She spat the last word as if it was poison.

Damon wasn't unfamiliar with a dysfunctional father-child relationship, but there was something about Elena's interaction with her father that had him restraining his intense need to protect her. Their relationship was not normal and tension was rolling off the man in front of him in waves.

"Thank you for stopping by," he said, finally looking at Damon. "But it's time for you to leave." Then he disappeared into the house.

Once he was gone, Elena let out a heavy sigh as if she'd been holding her breath the whole time. He opened his mouth to say something, anything, but she interrupted before he could get a word out.

"You should go," she said, with no emotion whatsoever in her voice or on her face. He could sense that she detaching herself from him, from the situation. He wanted to hold on, to pull her back, to find the Elena he'd seen on Friday night. He didn't like this version of Elena. This was the Elena that everyone else saw and gossiped about.

But instead of arguing or trying to push her too far, he settled for giving her a slight nod before descending the porch steps and getting into his car without a single look back. He tried to push all thoughts of her out of his mind as he drove to his apartment. He couldn't save someone who didn't want to be saved. Hell, he didn't even know if she needed saving. Maybe she liked the fucked up life she was living.

"Dad called," Stefan said right as Damon walked into the apartment. His messenger bag hadn't even hit the floor yet. Speaking of jackass fathers.

"And that's pertinent information for me because?" he asked, heading straight to the kitchen for something to drink.

Stefan sighed, and Damon swore even his perfectly coiffed hair deflated a little. "You can't hate him forever."

"Oh, yes I can, Stefan. The man practically disowned me. I owe him nothing," Damon snapped, gulping down a large glass of orange juice.

Stefan sighed again, leaning against the counter. "He said Katherine is thinking of coming for a visit. She wants to look at the campus."

Damon froze. Shit, shit, shit. "When?"

Stefan shrugged. "The end of next month."

"If that man loves her so much, why doesn't he just marry her?" Damon grumbled.

One of the best parts of transferring to MFU was getting away from his ex-fiancée. He and Katherine had been betrothed to each other since birth. They lived next door to each other, and her father was a member of the executive board at Salvatore Hotels. For a long time, he was perfectly fine with the notion of marrying Katherine. He'd loved her, they'd been friends since the sandbox days. She'd been there for him through almost everything. They knew all of each other's flaws and secrets. He had no illusions about her. She was a royal bitch, having had everything handed to her since she was born, but he'd looked past it because he'd loved her. And then one day, he just didn't. He'd seen the life his father had laid out for him, a life that included her, and he just couldn't stomach it any longer. He'd used distance as an excuse to break off their engagement, but there was so much more behind it than that. The life he wanted to live didn't include her, and it wasn't a life she'd ever want to live.

"I heard you've been hanging out with the school psycho," Stefan said, changing the subject.

Damon rolled his eyes. Stefan was so susceptible to gossip. He believed everything he heard. "She's not psycho and we're just lab partners. I have to spend time with her."

His words were just as much for Stefan's benefit as they were for his own. He had a strange fixation with Elena that he needed to get over. He'd barely known her for a week. He was just attracted to her, at least that's what he told himself. It didn't go any deeper than that.

But even he knew he was lying to himself.

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	4. Chapter 4

**Hello again! Thank you, thank you for your amazing reviews! They make writing this story even more enjoyable.**

**A thank you goes to Kate (This Is My Escape) for prereading for me and being an all around amazing sound board. And another massive thank you to Layla Reyne for being such an awesome beta. She's the best. Really.**

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Elena glanced at the clock as she fastened the last button on her blouse. She wasn't rushed for time, but she wished she were. Lately, her meetings with Professor Shane were becoming more and more strained. In the beginning, it was easy; she gave him what he wanted, and in return, he gave her what she needed. It was simple, uncomplicated and worked just fine for her. Up until recently, of course.

"What are you doing this weekend?" Atticus asked. He was sitting on the ledge of his now wildly unorganized desk. She almost rolled her eyes, because she knew what was coming; it was the same thing every time she saw him lately. It was the reason why she'd started to dread needing a refill. "I was thinking we could take a drive, maybe have dinner a few towns over so no one would recognize us."

Elena didn't know where his recent need to take her out was coming from. They had a mutually beneficial no-strings-attached relationship. She didn't want anything more and he got his rocks off plenty, even in his tiny office.

She sighed and went with the argument she always used. "You know we can't risk that, we are risking plenty already."

She didn't know why she made such an effort to let him down easy. This was all his idea for compensation in the first place. Why he now wanted it to be more, she had no idea.

He dropped his gaze to his feet, nodding solemnly. He fished through his pocket as she gathered her things.

"Here," he said, holding out the small white bottle. The sole reason she was in his office in the first place. She was not an addict. She just knew what life was going to give her, and this was what she needed to survive.

She muttered her thanks before slipping out of his office, running her fingers through her mussed hair and walking straight into a passing student who, to her horror, was none other than Damon.

"Sorry," she mumbled, keeping her head down and scurrying away from him as fast as her feet would take her.

She'd been avoiding him for the better part of two weeks after he'd showed up at her house and nearly uncovered one of her many secrets. But what scared her most was seeing the genuine concern in his eyes and how her body reacted to it. She wanted him to care, wanted him to save her. It was a sick notion, one she'd never experienced before. She was always the one doing the saving and protecting. She'd forced herself to take a step back and reminded herself of all the painful things someone could do to her if she let them in.

So since then, they'd studied together, but left out all other topics of conversation. She could tell he always wanted to say more, she could see it in his eyes. She also had to fight the urge to ask him about himself, how his classes were going, where he wanted to go after he graduated. Every time she caught him looking at her with those bright blue eyes, her stomach would flip, heat would rush to her cheeks and she'd chicken out.

As the days passed, it was harder and harder for her to maintain her carefully crafted facade around him. He never once looked at her as if he was better than her, and he never asked about the rumors she knew were swirling about her. He merely took her for who she was and didn't question it. Maybe that was why, while they were studying on a quiet Friday afternoon, she opened her big mouth.

"What are you doing tonight?"

His surprised eyes shot up to her face. It was the first thing she'd said to him in weeks that wasn't anatomy-related. She wasn't sure what possessed her. Maybe the devil. Maybe a demon seed. Maybe she was developing another personality.

"Uh... nothing. Why? What's up?" he asked, quickly getting over his shock.

"Jeremy has a game a few hours away, so he won't be back until morning, and there's the Founder's Picnic in the Park that I'm supposed to attend," she explained hurriedly, her courage fast evaporating. "I was thinking if you didn't have anything to do, maybe you'd want to come?"

Silence. Nothing but absolute silence as he stared at her. She fidgeted in her seat, contemplating the wisdom of taking it all back or just running away.

Just as she was planning her escape, Damon finally spoke up. "I'd love to."

She wanted to hate the way her stomach fluttered in response to his words, but she found herself oddly enjoying the sensation. Even as they walked through the park together at sunset, she couldn't find it in her to be annoyed at the scathing looks she received. Damon obviously didn't care what they thought and she didn't either.

They went through the buffet line, chatting about school sports and Elena told Damon some of the stories she'd heard from about the town's history. She loved the way his eye lit up and the way he ate up anything history-related.

"Tell me about your family," she said as they lounged on their blanket after they'd eaten their weight in barbecue. They'd placed themselves in a corner of the park, secluded from everyone else, but still within view of the festivities.

Damon took a deep breath and ran a hand through his unruly hair. "There's not much to tell and what little there is, isn't very happy."

He gazed off unseeing into the crowd as if he'd been transported back into his memories. "I am the spitting image of my mother and when she died, I was a huge source of pain for my father. He could hardly look at me, so as a kid, I just tried to steer clear so as not to hurt him. I guess as the years went by, it turned into resentment. I resented him for never treating me the way a father should treat his child, for not treating me like he treated Stefan, and he resented my very existence for causing him so much pain."

Her heart broke listening to his story. She felt herself soften a little more toward Damon, knowing that he understood what it was like to have a rough family life. To not be good enough.

"Is that why you came here? To get away from him?" she asked, wondering just how similar their situations were.

"Yeah. He wanted me to be someone I'm not," he answered, picking at an invisible piece of lint on the blanket. "He had my whole life planned out for me with no regard for what I actually wanted for myself. I got this scholarship, and I grabbed ahold of the opportunity with both hands. It was sheer luck that Stefan got a scholarship as well."

"That's my plan too," Elena said in reply, staring out at the sea of people milling about the park. "As soon as Jeremy graduates, we are packing up and leaving."

"Where would you go?" he asked, looking over at her as she fell back on the blanket, gazing up at the cloudless sky.

"I'm applying to the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State. If I get in, we'll move there."

He slowly laid down next to her, close enough that she could feel the heat coming from his body, but not close enough to touch. "You always protect your brother." It wasn't a question.

They sat in silence for a long while, both lost in their own thoughts, and when Elena spoke again, her voice was soft.

"My dad was cheating on my mom." Her admission surprised even herself, but with it came relief at finally letting it out. She'd held it in for so long that it was eating away at her. "He started pulling away, started drinking a lot and when she found out, she lost it. For weeks, she wouldn't say anything, not a word unless she was fighting with my dad in the middle of the night. I'd go into Jeremy's room and watch over him, making sure he stayed asleep during the tirade."

Damon said nothing, only stayed on his side of the blanket, looking up at the dark sky. It was like he knew that she wasn't telling him because she needed words of comfort. She just needed someone to listen. To care.

"I was the one who found her," she whispered, turning her head to find Damon looking over at her - mirroring her position as they laid on the blanket. "I didn't sleep for three days straight afterward. I couldn't get that image out of my head."

Damon's eyes scanned her face, a myriad of emotions swimming in his eyes. None of which were pity, thankfully.

"Nobody knows the truth about my mom, only my sad excuse for a father. Not even Jeremy," she admitted.

"Jeremy doesn't know?" he asked in quiet disbelief.

Elena sighed and turned her head toward the sky. "His view of one of his parent is already tainted. He doesn't need to know the one person he depended on most gave up on him, too."

They fell back into their respective thoughts and stayed that way until an MC announced that they were opening the dance floor for the night. She wasn't sure why at that moment she became nervous, like somebody had flipped a switch in her body and she was immediately filled with tension. She was hyperaware of Damon's body next to hers and she wondered what it'd be like to be in his arms on the dance floor. Maybe he'd ask. What if he didn't? Then what did that mean?

He sat up suddenly, cutting off her silent girlish ramblings. "Would you like to dance?"

His smirk set off those damn butterflies again. She had no control over her body or its reactions to him, which was undoubtedly why she was unable to control the smile that tugged at her lips.

"I'd love to."

She sat up and placed her hand in his, letting him pull her to her feet. He didn't let go of her hand as he walked them to the dance floor the Founders' Council had set up for the event. Everything in her body was focused on that one point where they were connected. His hand was soft and warm, and she loved the way his fingers were curled tightly around her own.

When they reached the laminate wood flooring, he turned to her, keeping her hand in his and sliding his free arm around her waist. He held her tightly and confidently. She had to resist the urge to knot her fingers in his hair and lay her head against his chest. She couldn't imagine why she felt so much for someone she'd known for such a short amount of time. When the thought of soul mates drifted into her mind, she had to work to keep her laughter from bubbling out. It was a ridiculous notion.

The song playing over the loud speakers was sweet and enchanting, pulling her into a world where nothing existed outside of Damon's arms. The thought should've terrified her, and maybe it would once she stepped out of his arms and got her head on straight. That time would come soon enough, but she decided that for now, she'd enjoy his embrace while it lasted.

They swayed easily to the beat of the song, not exchanging any words, just glances and small smiles. From up close, he was even more beautiful. The sharp angle of his jaw tempted her to run her lips along it, followed by her tongue. His amazing blue eyes were framed by thick dark eyelashes that made his eyes stand out even more. And those eyes locked with hers a moment before her gaze drifted down to his lips, causing the fire roaring inside to grow. They were so perfectly crafted and they looked so soft. She wondered what they'd feel like on her own, on her neck, on other parts of her body.

She glanced up as he slowly leaned forward, capturing her with his gaze. A gaze that sent shockwaves down her spine. She was a slave to whatever was brewing between them. She had no say in the matter, no way to break free even if she wanted to, which she did not. So when he paused, just a breath away, she closed the distance between them, her eyes fluttering shut as her lips came in contact with his. That simple touch was like gasoline on a fire, unleashing everything inside of her. Her blood boiled, her heart rate soared, and her knees turned to mush. Her fingers curled into his hair, rejoicing in finally being able to touch the soft strands. His fingers at her back tightened, pulling her closer so she was pressed against his hard chest.

All too soon he pulled away, keeping the kiss sweet and short, but nonetheless effective. His eyes were searching her face when hers finally opened. He gave her a bright smile, surely enjoying her dazed expression. Never in her life had she been kissed like that.

* * *

Elena breathed a sigh of relief when she pulled into her driveway and discovered her house dark and quiet. A small smiled tugged at her lips as she reflected on the evening she'd spent with Damon. She was shocked at how easily she'd told him details of her life that she'd never told anyone else. She'd thought that he would immediately pity her or judge her or go screaming in the other direction, but he'd done none of those things. Instead, he'd asked her to dance and then kissed her. He'd kissed her.

God, she was mooning over him like a lovesick teenager.

She crept up the steps to the house, like she had many, many times before. No matter how many times she'd snuck into her own house, it still made her heart pound and her palms sweaty. She slowly and carefully pushed her key into the lock and turned until she heard the faint click, though in the silence of the night, it sounded like a gunshot. She cringed when the door creaked as she pushed it open.

So far, so good, she thought, stepping into the dark house and carefully closing the front door behind her. She slipped off her shoes, knowing they'd make a lot of unneeded noise on the wooden stairs. Converse dangling from her hand, she tiptoed toward the stairs. Just as her foot touched the first step, a light in the living room clicked on and her heart dropped into her stomach.

"Where the fuck have you been?" John slurred.

She froze right before her entire body went into high-alert. She wanted to cry, to curl into a ball and hide from the world. She had nowhere to go, nowhere to run. Her heart was pounding and her knees were shaking so badly that she wasn't sure how much longer she'd remain upright. This was a real life nightmare, one that she endured over and over again for the sake of her brother.

He pushed himself off the couch and stumbled toward where she cowered against the wall. "Well?" he asked, getting impatient.

She steeled herself. She'd done this many times before and survived. She'd survive tonight. "I was out."

He was close now, and she could smell the alcohol on his breath. It was terrifying, but showing any signs of fear only egged him on. It fed his hatred, his rage. She attempted to edge up the stairs, wanting to put some much needed distance between them. She was halted when his hand shot out and wrapped around her wrist, her bones feeling like they were bending to his grip. He slammed her against the wall, but she held in the cry that wanted to so desperately to claw out of her throat.

"You need to learn respect, you little bitch," he seethed, his nose nearly touching hers. His fingers flexed around her wrist so tightly that she wondered if he would break it again.

They stared each other down for several long moments. Elena refused to wither under his gaze, under his physical intimidation. He squeezed her wrist one more time before he pushed away, stumbling back to the couch where he proceeded to pass out into a drunken stupor. She took the opportunity to dash up the stairs and lock herself into her room.

She pressed her back against the hard wood of her bedroom door, the tears finally making their appearance. Her shoes dropped noisily to the floor as she cradled her wrist to her chest and slid down the door to the floor. Her chest heaved with silent sobs and she cursed her moment of weakness.

She felt the walls closing in on her, felt the weight on her chest, and she knew she was on the verge of a full-blown panic attack. Her breath was coming in and going out in small bursts, her eyes wouldn't focus, and all she could think about was the inescapability of her situation. She had no way out. She felt no hope.

She fumbled around the floor, her hands searching for the soft fabric of her bag and once found, she blindly felt around inside of it for the small bottle that held the only way out of her steel cage. With shaking hands, she popped open the lid, swallowed one of those precious pills, and then leaned against the wall and prayed it'd take effect soon.

She ached for somewhere to run, for someone to hold her, to protect her. She knew she'd never have someone like that, because she'd never let anyone get close enough, but she could dream. Maybe one day she could have that life. A life full of a love that didn't hurt, of a love that didn't let her down. But that day wasn't anytime soon and it wouldn't ever come if she stayed this house.

She just prayed she'd survive long enough to have a chance at her dream.

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	5. Chapter 5

**Big thanks goes to Layla Reyne for her brilliant beta work and to Kate (This Is My Escape) for her prereading services and both for being a great sounding board.**

**Thanks to all of you for reviewing and sharing this story. It means the world to me.**

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Damon scanned the dining hall; he'd purposely hung back, taking his time getting there to give Elena time to get her lunch and find a table. He felt the line being drawn between the place he was expected to be and the place he wanted to be. He hadn't spoken to Elena over the weekend and he wasn't sure how she was feeling about the kiss they'd shared. He didn't want to freak her out; he could tell she was skittish when it came to people getting close. He hated those two weeks when she'd avoided him, and he wasn't about to push her too far again.

He glanced back and forth between the table holding his rowdy teammates and the girls that hung all over them and Elena sitting alone at her otherwise empty table. He made his choice and walked through the tables, heading toward the only place he wanted to be and saying a big fuck-it-all to the rest of the student population. When the room went silent, his steps faltered slightly, but he didn't stop, because at the same moment, Elena's wide doe eyes connected with his. Her cheeks flushed a soft pink and that made it all worthwhile.

He slid into one of the many open seats, choosing the one closest to her. She openly gaped at him as he took his plate and soda off of his tray, setting them in front of him on the table. He took a bite of his pizza, aware of her gaze burning into the side of his face. He downed a gulp of his soda before finally turning to her.

"Is there something you needed?" He tried hard to hide his smile; her flabbergasted expression was priceless.

"Why are you sitting here?" she asked, disbelief coloring her tone.

He shrugged. "Because I wanted to."

He glanced around the dining hall, feeling the stares directed at them. He could practically taste their judgment. Damon wasn't sure how she did this. How she sat at an empty table everyday while the people around her gossiped, either behind her back or right in front of her face. How she kept her head held high through it all was a mystery to him. He was trying not to let it affect him, but it was damn hard to ignore the pulsing energy that was nearly tangible.

"You really don't have to sit here, Damon," Elena said, relaxing a bit with amusement dancing in her eyes at his increasing discomfort. "You are free to go back to your swim-assholes and I won't even hold it against you, I swear."

He mulled that over a minute, scanning the room and knowing every person in there was talking about him, but the way she'd relaxed and seemed genuinely happy to have him close to her made his decision for him.

"How do you stand it?" he asked instead of directly acknowledging what she said.

She thought about that while letting her eyes scan the room. When her gaze finally landed back on him, she just shrugged. "I don't care if they hate the person they think I am."

Their eyes locked and held for several moments. She surprised him again and again and the more he learned about her, the more he wanted to know. She was resilient, putting put up with a seriously screwed up household for her one and only brother. Not only was Damon attracted to her, he admired her. He wanted to be around her because he liked her.

"Do you hear what they say about you?" he asked, after they ate in silence for a few minutes.

She shrugged again. "When they want me to."

As if to prove her point, a blond duo walked by their table. He recognized one as Tyler Lockwood's girlfriend, Caroline, and the other was the girl who'd been relentlessly hitting on him since he'd stepped foot on campus, Rebekah.

"Slut," Rebecca sneered, as Caroline bumped the table with her hip, hard enough to jostle their plates.

He watched Elena, who merely rolled her eyes, and if he wasn't paying close attention, he would've missed the flash of pain in her eyes before she turned to him and raised her eyebrows as if to say, 'See?'

"Caroline is jealous because I slept with her boyfriend first," Elena explained, as she picked at her pizza. "And Rebekah is jealous because she wants to fuck you before I do and ruin you for all other women."

He knew she was purposely steering the conversation to less threatening territory and he let her, smiling at how much patience it probably took her not to retaliate.

"Ruin me, eh?" Damon said with a smirk and a wiggle of his eyebrows, and then he leaned in close, so close that he could smell her shampoo. Vanilla. "I think I'd be the one doing the ruining." His voice was husky and he watched the blood rush to her cheeks and seep down her neck. The air between them was charged with sexual tension, and he forced himself out of her bubble before he embarrassed himself in front of half the school.

Elena raised her eyebrows once she recovered. "Cocky much?"

Damon took a bite of his pizza, finished chewing and took a sip of his soda before he answered, "I have very good reasons to be cocky."

Her face remained serious for only a few seconds and then she threw her head back and laughed loudly. And it didn't matter that when she did, every head in the dining hall turned and glared at them. The sound was happy and free, and he'd do anything to hear it again.

* * *

Friday afternoon had quickly turned into Friday evening, but he finally had it down. "Semitendinosus," Damon declared confidently to Elena, who was holding a diagram of the leg muscles and quizzing him. She smiled, nodded and pointed to the muscle right under it. He answered right away, "Semimembranosus."

Elena was a great tutor, and they were both going to kill their anatomy exam next week. He'd had lunch with Elena every day this week, much to the dismay of his teammates, who had approached him and asked if he'd lost his mind or just gotten some of that "golden pussy." He'd nearly punched Tyler in the face for that one, but instead told him to butt out and mind his own damn business.

Jeremy had another away game and Damon was looking forward to spending another Friday night with her, especially considering how well the last one had gone. Neither of them had mentioned the kiss, and he still had no idea how she felt about it. But he knew how he felt about it. He wanted to kiss her again. He'd never felt so much for one person in his entire life – not even Katherine, the woman with whom he was supposed to have spent the rest of his life. That realization was both terrifying and exhilarating.

But Elena was so hard to read, open and lively one day and closed off the next. He wasn't sure if he'd gone too far with her and he hated second-guessing himself. It was not something he was accustomed to. He knew how every female at MFU felt about him, except for Elena - the only one that mattered.

Both of their heads snapped up when the front door opened and Stefan entered the apartment.

"Hey Da-" Stefan's immediately cut short his greeting when he caught sight of Elena sitting next to him on the floor.

"Hey, Stef," Damon chirped, enjoying his brother's intense discomfort. "This is Elena Gilbert. Elena, this is my brother, Stefan."

Elena smiled up at him. "Hi, Stefan."

"Hi," Stefan returned awkwardly, shifting his weight from one leg to the other.

Elena glanced back and forth between him and Stefan before she pushed herself up off the floor. "I'm going to grab a soda, want anything?" she asked Damon and when he shook his head, her gaze turned to Stefan, who also declined. She shrugged and moved into the small kitchen that was only separated from the living room by a breakfast bar.

"You brought the crazy girl here?" Stefan hissed when they heard the refrigerator open.

Damon rolled his eyes. "She's not crazy."

"Actually, I am crazy," Elena's voice shut them both up. Their heads snapped to where she was re-entering the room, a Dr. Pepper in hand and an amused smile on her lips.

"See?" Stefan said, recovering quickly and gesturing to her with his arm. "Even she admits it!"

"She's not crazy," Damon repeated, annoyed, before he turned to where Elena was lowering herself onto the floor. "You're not crazy."

It was Elena's turn to roll her eyes, but the smile never left her lips. "Whatever you say, Damon."

His eyes locked with hers and he gave her a small smile before turning back to the papers that were spread all over the coffee table.

Stefan seemed to contemplate the scenario staring at him a few more moments and then flopped onto a nearby armchair, dropping his bag onto the floor with a thud. He apparently had revised his judgment of Elena.

"So, you ready for your first meet?" Stefan asked, as he pulled his books and notes from his bag and settled in to study with them.

Damon shot him a confused look, to which Stefan only shrugged. "Yeah. I'm ready to compete again. I'm just glad it's a home meet."

"You have a meet soon?" Elena asked, curiosity gleaming in her big brown eyes.

"Tomorrow, actually," Damon answered, imagining what it'd be like to have her there cheering for him.

She nodded thoughtfully and then turned back to the packets of lecture slides in front of her. Stefan asked Damon a few more questions about which heats he was going to compete in before they too jumped back into their studies. The three of them studied together in relative silence for hours, stopping every once in a while for "brain breaks" as Elena called them. After Stefan's initial hesitation toward Elena, Damon could tell he was warming up to her. It was easy to do when she wasn't around people who forced her into her protective, aloof shell.

As it turned out, Elena, too, had an intense love for baseball. During one of their brain breaks, Stefan flipped though the channels, stopping on the live game. He and Elena screamed, cheered and argued about which teams would make it to the World Series, player stats, and previous World Series winners. Damon sat back and listened to them jabber on about RBI's, errors, and batting averages. He liked how it felt to be hanging out with her and his brother, all of them relaxing in their living room, eating the pizza they'd ordered, and chatting about baseball. He liked how she fit into his life here.

Some time later, Elena began gathering her notes and carefully sliding them into her backpack. "I'm going to head out. Thank you for dinner."

Stefan had retreated to his bedroom a while ago, leaving the two of them channel surfing and chatting about anything and everything - school, music, sports, places they wanted to visit. Hanging out with her was easy; she was funny, witty, smart, and deep. He practically hung on her every word.

"I'll walk you out," he replied, pushing himself up off the couch and heading toward the door. She followed reluctantly, looking like she was about to protest any minute, but she kept quiet.

They walked to the parking lot side by side, in silence. There was so much he wanted to do - hold her hand, stop her right there in the middle of the parking lot where it was starting sprinkle and kiss her - but he refrained, unsure if that was what she wanted. He sure as hell wanted it. He craved it. Just one taste of her wasn't enough.

"Well," she said awkwardly once they reached her little red sedan. "Goodnight, Damon."

He watched her, the way she licked her lips and fiddled with the edge of her backpack strap. Everything in him wanted to kiss her again, right there in the parking lot, rain be damned. Hell, he'd be happy just having her in his arms again. He'd never been so unsure around a female in his entire life.

So for tonight, he only gave her a smile. "Goodnight, Elena."

He stepped back and watched her get into her car and drive away as the rain started coming down.

When he re-entered the apartment, Stefan was leaning against the living room with his arms folded across his chest and a worried look on his face. "You know the whole school is talking about you, right?".

Damon rolled his eyes in answer. _Let them talk_, he thought. He moved to push past Stefan, but Stefan's arm shot out to stop him.

"Damon," he said, his voice serious. "What if the things they say about her are true? What if she does have issues – major issues? Can you handle dealing with someone like that?"

The concern in Stefan's voice forced Damon to stop and think about that for a minute. "She's my friend, Stefan. I'm not going to turn my back on her just because she may or may not have issues."

Stefan dropped his hand and nodded. He appreciated Stefan's concern, but Elena had given him no reason to run in the other direction, only reasons to continue pursuing whatever was happening between them. She was fun, funny and easy to be around. If she truly did have issues, he knew they lay in that big colonial house.

Damon milled around, finished his homework and watched TV. It wasn't as fun without Elena by his side cracking jokes or sipping her Dr. Pepper. He could hear the rain pounding outside; it was loud, yet relaxing. As he showered, he wondered if Elena was safe tonight. He knew she could damn well fend for herself but somehow, she'd wiggled her way into his heart and he was worried about her.

A clap of thunder rattled the front door and he could've sworn somebody knocked on it, but he dismissed the thought due to the late hour. He was stuffing the notes that were scattered across the coffee table into his book bag when he heard the sound again. Somebody was definitely knocking at his door. At midnight. He had no idea who would show up at his apartment this late, despite the fact that it was a Friday night.

He swung the door open without bothering to look and see who it was. It was Mystic Falls and he'd fast learned that nothing remotely resembling true crime ever happened here. His jaw dropped open when he saw a soaking wet Elena Gilbert on his doorstep. She was huddled into a hooded sweatshirt that was three times her size and she was shaking uncontrollably. Whether it was from the rain or from something else entirely, he had no idea.

"Is everything okay?" he asked, stepping aside and gesturing for her to come inside.

She stood awkwardly in the middle of his living room, looking more like a drowned rat than a person, but nonetheless beautiful.

"Elena?" he prompted, not upset she was there, but nervous as to why.

Her eyes connected with his right before she pounced. Her lips crashed against his as she molded herself against his chest, rainwater soaking through his shirt. He didn't give it a single thought, as he wrapped an arm around her waist and buried his free hand in her wet hair. Her lips were insistent against his, her tongue tracing the seam of his mouth until he gladly let her in.

They stumbled backwards until her back hit a nearby wall, their hands everywhere at once. She gripped his shoulders and pulled him closer. There was a desperation in her kiss, like she needed him to run the demons out of her life. There was anger and fear pouring off of her, readily apparent in the way that she gripped him, the way that her teeth grazed his lips and skin, the bruising strength of her kiss. Like she was using him to banish the darkness from her life. He'd gladly be her light, but not like this. Not for the first time.

Sure he'd had sex before. Lots of it. Angry, passionate, slow, kinky. But whatever this was with Elena, it felt different. He wasn't about to turn into a sentimental sap and say that it would mean something bigger than it actually would, but somehow, letting her use him like this felt wrong. For him and for her.

He gently pulled away, leaving both of them gasping for air while the tension hung heavy around them. "I'm sorry," he sighed. "I can't do this."

He watched her eyes go from desire to devastation as the rejection washed over her. He knew there would be no other way she'd take it. "You don't want to sleep with me?" Her question was whisper quiet and held more vulnerability than he'd ever seen her expose.

He remained pressed against her, not giving her any chance to get away. "It's not that I don't want to."

"Then what is it?" she asked, her eyes dropping to where her fingers fiddled with the neck of his T-shirt.

Grasping her chin, he tilted her head back so he could see her brown eyes. "You deserve better than this."

She held his gaze a moment longer and then nodded her acceptance. He pulled away from her, letting his hand drift down her arm to weave his fingers through hers. She stared at their intertwined hands before looking back up at him.

"Come on, let's get you a shower and into some dry clothes," he said with a small smile.

He tugged her through his bedroom and into the bathroom and she followed obediently, letting him sit her on the closed toilet seat while he turned on the hot water in the shower. She remained silent while he gathered a clean towel, one of his T-shirts and a pair of drawstring pants. He laid them all on the counter in a neat pile.

He turned to leave the bathroom but her hand shot out and caught his arm, stopping him in his tracks. He turned to see her staring up at him with adoration in her eyes. In that moment, he felt like a fucking hero, the way she was looking up at him. And God, he liked it.

"Thank you," she said softly. He smiled down at her before turning and shutting the door behind her.

Twenty minutes later, she emerged along with a cloud of steam. He tried to not think about how satisfying it was to see her in his clothes, to know that she had showered with his body wash and shampoo. It would drive him mad and possibly turn him into some sick possessive caveman.

He scooted over to one edge of the bed and she accepted the silent invitation, crossing the room and crawling underneath the covers on the other side. Damon turned out the light on his nightstand and plunged the room into darkness.

"Damon?" Her voice was soft and unsure.

"Yeah?" he replied, turning onto his side to gaze at her silhouette. She didn't answer and he was content to wait her out, enjoying the sound of her breathing in the quiet.

She took a deep breath before rolling over to face him. "Did you mean what you said earlier?"

He wracked his brain, wondering what she was referring to. He'd said a lot to her tonight. "About what?" he asked, unconsciously moving closer to her and the warmth coming off her body.

She was silent for so long that he wondered if she wasn't going to answer. "That you didn't turn me down because you don't want me."

He was shocked speechless. Here was this confident, strong, funny, independent woman laying in his bed after showing up scared and alone asking him if he liked her, if he wanted her. Her strong exterior wasn't just a mask she wore; at her core, she showed quiet strength and resilience, and to now hear her so unsure of herself only made him want her more.

"I meant every word," he replied, his voice full of conviction. He couldn't see her face in the darkness, but her contented sigh was music to his ears. He couldn't handle the distance between them any longer, not when they were both laid so emotionally bare. He pulled her close, wrapping his body around hers, and nuzzled his nose into her hair, loving the smell of his shampoo in it. The moment he had her settled in his arms, her whole body went lax, as if she'd been carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders and only then was she able to let it all go. And he was more than happy to share the load with her.

* * *

**Thank you again for taking the time to read and to review and even share this story. My muse feeds off of your reviews and speculations and retweets and reblogs.**

**Twitter: rachellebelle08**

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**See you next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Wow. You guys set a record amount of reviews last chapter. THANK YOU. I got around to replying to most of the reviews, but not all of them. I'm still amid packing my life up and getting ready to move two states. It's quite a daunting task. So I hope you'll forgive me if I didn't reply. **

**Again, gigantic thanks go to Layla Reyne for beta'ing this story and being around to give me such awesome ideas when I've hit a block. And to Kate (This Is My Escape) for prereading every chapter before I post it. They are both amazing people and writers, if you need any fic recommendations, start with the two of them. **

**Okay, here we go...**

* * *

Elena had been subjected to uncomfortable situations before, but that was at school and there was no way around it. She had to attend classes, but she'd steered clear of any and all of MFU's sporting events, or any voluntary MFU events for that matter. So how she let Jeremy talk her into showing up at Damon's swim meet was a mystery to her. Maybe because it was Damon and she'd get to see him in nothing but a Speedo. Might have had a little something to do it with, she admitted to herself with a smirk.

Ever since she'd woken up next to Damon that morning, she'd been thrown off. She liked sleeping next to him, liked how he chased the demons away with just his touch. She liked his presence. It was a new feeling for her, one that she didn't want to like. She'd reminded herself over and over again for the past two years how easy it was for love to screw one over. How it could consume someone so much that only that one other person existed. She'd watched it happen to her own parents and saw how it had destroyed them both.

But she couldn't seem to stop her heart from fluttering when Damon was around, when he smiled at her, and especially last night when he'd said he wanted to be with her. She was no stranger to sex, having used it as an outlet for her pain when her mother died and when the beatings started. She'd lost her virginity in an act of defiance - to show her father that he didn't affect her, to convince herself that she was in control of something when the rest of her life was so very chaotic. Damon was different. He made her smile and laugh and that made him all the more dangerous.

"Elena, chill out," Jeremy said, pulling her from her thoughts while leading them up the bleachers next to the pool. Her hands were clenched so tight that her knuckles were turning white. Voices were echoing loudly through the building, but she knew the moment they realized that she was there. Everyone went quiet for a few seconds before the chatter resumed, only this time, talking about her.

"I don't know how I let you talk me into this," she muttered to Jeremy, meeting the probing stares of her classmates, not allowing them to see her anxiety. They - just like her father - preyed on her weakness or any sign of submission.

"Elena!"

She heard her name, that wasn't a rare occurrence, but hearing it called excitedly - expectantly - had her head snapping up to see Stefan waving her over. She was so shocked that she had no idea what to do until Jeremy tugged her in his direction.

They shuffled down the row to where Stefan had some empty seats next to him and a few members of the baseball team on his other side. She gave Stefan a hesitant smile as she sat down. She noticed the glances exchanged by his teammates before they all rose and moved down several rows. She saw Stefan watching them, and she could read in his eyes how much he wanted to fit in at this new school in a new town.

"Just because I'm friends with your brother doesn't mean you have to be nice to me," Elena said, raising an eyebrow at him.

He studied her for a long moment before he shrugged. "They're assholes."

She couldn't argue with him about that and was saved from having to formulate a response when the crowd went crazy. Elena turned to see the swim team walking out of the locker room. Her eyes scanned until she spotted Damon. His hair was wet and messy around his face, and he was wearing a warm up suit with his swim cap and goggles in one hand and a pair of headphones over his ears. Her mouth went dry. She could tell he was totally in the zone, and she wasn't sure why, but _Good Lord_, was it sexy.

She tried, _really_ tried, to watch the first few heats, but her eyes were riveted to where Damon sat on the bench with his team, his head bobbing to the beat of whatever was playing on his headphones.

The 400-meter butterfly was announced, and Stefan leaned over to tell her that this was Damon's first category. Her heart jumped in excitement when he strode over to the starting blocks, removed his headphones and snapped on his swim cap. He unzipped his jacket and she was certain she'd pass out at any second. He was lean and muscled, like Michelangelo's David. She wasn't one to use the term 'perfection' very often, but that's what he was – absolute perfection.

He stripped down to his tight long-legged Speedo Jammer and started to bounce on the balls of his feet while he swung his arms in huge circles. His blue eyes were focused on the water, and it was like he was the only one there. She couldn't wait to see him race. The announcer called the swimmers to their marks, and Damon pulled his goggles on over his eyes before mounting the starting block.

He hunched over and wrapped his fingers around the edge of his block. His whole body was coiled with tension that was just waiting to be unleashed. The muscles of his back and arms were pulled tight, and she had the strongest urge to run her tongue over every dip and line of those muscles. The automated voice instructed the swimmers to get set, and then the buzzer rang out and Damon catapulted off the block and into the water. She found herself cheering along with the rest of the students as he cut through the water.

Just watching him was exhausting and not once did it seem like he was losing steam. Lap after lap, he maintained and even increased his lead over the other swimmers. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she watched him on his last lap, powering through the water until his fingers hit the wall. The crowd went wild, but all Elena could focus on was Damon's sweet smile as he came out of the water, pulling off his goggles and cap. His eyes searched the crowd and when they locked with hers, his smile only widened. Her head started spinning, her stomach was doing flips and she hated how much she liked it.

She also loved the way the water rolled off his body when he lifted himself out of the pool. This swim meet was terrible for her health. Damon competed in three other heats, two were individual and one was a relay. He won all of his races, and as soon as the meet ended, the students in the bleachers descended to congratulate him. Elena, Jeremy, and Stefan all stayed where they were, waiting for the crowd to disperse. Jeremy and Stefan chatted about whatever guys talked about, but she wasn't really listening. She was too distracted by the green-eyed monster trying to tear its way out of her while she watched Damon interacting with several different girls. They were hanging on his every word and looking at him like he was some sort of dessert. It was sickening.

Oh God, she was jealous. No, there was no way. Damon was just her friend. That she kissed. And tried to sleep with. But she'd slept with tons of guys, why would he be any different? He wouldn't. He was just another guy. One that was nice to her. And funny. And good looking. One that could make her feel all fuzzy with just one smile.

Shit. She had it bad. Elena wasn't sure what to do with this new, startling revelation. She couldn't remember the last time she actually liked a guy. It seemed so juvenile to have a crush at the age of twenty, especially after all she'd been through, but the truth was staring her in the eye and she could no longer deny it.

She had to get out of there before she did something stupid, like claw those girls' eyes out. Elena excused herself, but Jeremy and Stefan were so immersed in their conversation that neither of them gave her a passing glance. She made her escape down the far end of the bleachers and let out a relieved sigh when she found the hall leading to the restrooms empty.

She took in a deep breath for the first time in over an hour, breathing in the chorine and letting it cleanse her hormone-addled brain. She slumped against the wall, wanting both to escape and to stay and wait for her chance to fawn over Damon. She was pathetic. She knew what love did to people.

Not that she loved Damon. Not that she ever would or was even capable of love.

Elena shook her head. Damon had her all tangled up in knots. How did she let this happen? She resisted the urge to bang her head against the wall behind her. Everything felt wrong and right all at the same time.

"Elena!"

As if things couldn't get worse. She didn't need to open her eyes to know it was Professor Shane coming down the hall. Great. She wondered if she ignored him if he'd go away, but she'd tried that before and it never worked.

"Hey," she said, giving him a half-hearted smile.

"I'm surprised to see you here, you hate these kinds of things," he replied with an awkward chuckle. Even at a school event, he was dressed in his typical professor wear - khaki pants, shirt, tie, and a sweater vest.

She hated that he was right and that he knew that about her.

"Not that I'm not happy to see you," he said in a rush as if he'd offended her. He tucked his hands in his pockets before smiling up at her. "You look beautiful."

That urge to bang her head against the wall was back. It used to not be like this between them. He used to leave her alone, and she used to like him a lot more when her escape was in his hands. Today, she didn't feel the need to run and hide behind her self-medication. She actually felt okay in her own skin and she wasn't about to question it. It was liberating to not need the pills, to not even want them. Therefore, she wanted nothing to do with Atticus, who was a blaring, unwelcome reminder of the kinds of lows to which she could sink. She knew deep down that she'd eventually hit one of those lows again, it was inevitable, but she was enjoying the high she was currently experiencing.

She gave Atticus a forced smile before she backed down the hall. "I should go find my brother."

When she rounded the corner to the main pool area, she noticed that Damon's flock of admirers had dispersed and only Jeremy and Stefan were left. The three of them were chatting animatedly. Her brother fit right in with the two of them. She approached them slowly, content to just observe and enjoy her brother's smile. She tried to keep her steps quiet, but as soon as her thoughts shifted to Damon, his eyes snapped up to connect with hers as if she'd called his name.

The way his eyes lit up upon seeing her made her body burn and her stomach clench, a reaction that was foreign to her until Damon had entered her life. She never knew what to make of that feeling, but she'd slowly become accustomed to it, almost welcomed it. She was grateful for something other than pain and numbness.

"Hi," Damon said a little breathlessly, which he covered with an infuriatingly sexy smirk.

"Hey," Elena replied, desperately trying to ignore the blood pounding in her ears or the warmth in her cheeks. "Congratulations on your wins."

His smirk grew into a genuine smile and when she saw something akin to adoration in his eyes, she had to look away, reminding herself that she could never be the kind of girl he deserved. He needed someone without cracks, who was as flawless as a brand new porcelain doll. She was broken, ruined. Unable to ever be fixed.

"Thanks," he said a bit shyly. "I liked looking up in the stands and seeing you."

Her heart stopped at his sweet, soft-spoken words, and she somehow ended up staring directly into those impossibly blue eyes of his. He was like a tractor beam; resistance was futile.

"Hey," he said, saving her from trying to form a response. "There's a party tonight at the Lockwood mansion to celebrate our win. You should come."

She wasn't sure which part gave her the most anxiety - that he _wanted_ her to be seen in public with him or that it was at a place she hated almost as much as her own house.

He must have seen her gearing up to turn his offer down, because he brought out the big guns. "Please?" His soft voice combined with his pouty lips and puppy eyes were her undoing. She wasn't sure that anyone with a heart could turn that down.

"Okay," she sighed, rolling her eyes at his triumphant smile. "I'll come."

She shook her head, fighting the smile that was pulling at her lips as she turned to take Jeremy from his conversation with Stefan. The two had carried on happily while Elena and Damon were in their own little world.

Before she could walk away, Damon's hand wrapped tightly around hers, turning her back to him. "Thank you for coming."

She stared at their linked hands while she caught her breath. When her eyes finally ventured up to his face, she found him staring down at them as well. She could feel the warmth of his skin and it pulsed through her, just like it had last night when he held her. When their eyes locked, she felt _it_. That thing he did to her. It was as if her whole body was buzzing like static on a TV screen.

"You're welcome," she whispered, still caught up in what was happening between them and inside of her.

"I'll see you tonight?" he asked, his voice gentle and soothing, so much so that she wanted to wrap herself in it like a blanket.

She stared into his blue eyes, unable to form the words, so she merely nodded before turning and practically floating out to her car with Jeremy.

* * *

It was official. Elena had nothing to wear. She never, ever had nothing to wear. What was Damon doing to her? She glanced around her messy room and sighed, running a shaking hand through her frazzled hair. Why did she agree to go to this party? She didn't go to these things. It was just asking to be publicly ridiculed.

She combed through each pile of clothes a second time. Still nothing. That was it. She wasn't going.

"Elena..." Jeremy said, his voice trailing off when he entered her room and saw the mess she'd made. "What the hell happened in here?"

She glanced up at him, realizing just how pathetic she must look kneeling on her bed, surrounded by clothes that were haphazardly tossed around the room.

"Are you going to that party tonight?" he asked, slowly entering the room to avoid stepping on her clothes.

She froze in her third pass through the piles. "How do you know about that?"

Jeremy chuckled as he plopped down onto her bed - right on top of her clothes. "I may not have wanted to watch the two of you make googly eyes at each other, but that doesn't mean I wasn't listening."

She felt the blood rush to her cheeks and she tried to look away before Jeremy noticed, but she knew by his laugh that she hadn't fooled him. "I've never seen you like this, Elena. Look at you, you never used to care about what you wore on a date, and now I just mention his name and you're blushing."

Well, if that didn't make it all the more worse. She now felt the blush creeping down onto her neck and chest.

"I haven't seen you this happy in ages," he continued. She stared down at her hands, unsure what to say. "And I never told you how proud I am that you worked so hard to get off that medication. I hated those panic attacks and the way that medication would make you numb. I'm so happy that's behind us."

His hand found hers, only making her guilt worse. She closed her eyes and tried to will the panic back. She'd gotten so good at hiding them from Jeremy. God, she hated herself. The pride in his voice was apparent. If he ever found out what she did to get those pills, those glorious pills that let her succumb to the numbness, he'd be so disappointed in her. He might even hate her.

Elena glanced around the room, trying to take her mind off his words. All she could think about was how awful she was, how she didn't deserve somebody like Damon. Not when she lied and hid things from her own brother, the one person in the world who'd never abandoned her. She was an awful person.

"I don't think I'm going to go," she said with a sigh, glancing around her messy bedroom.

"You're joking right?" Jeremy asked, looking over at her with a shocked expression. When she didn't reply, he grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look at him before he continued. "Elena, there is a guy out there who is normal, attractive, and doesn't care what people say about you. He likes you. I don't think you're going to find that again anytime soon."

She stared at him, saw the genuine excitement in his eyes and knew she couldn't say no. She pushed all of the lingering guilt from her mind and forced a smile onto her face.

"Well don't just sit there," she said with a laugh and a shove. "Help me!"

"Brush your hair and put on makeup or whatever, and I'll see if I can find something for you to wear," he said, pulling her off the bed and pushing her toward her vanity.

She did as he directed, running a brush through her long hair and even adding some hairspray to keep those damn fly-aways under control. Elena wasn't big on makeup; she normally went without, but desperate times and all. So she added some blush to her cheeks, a little eye shadow and eye liner, and then finished it all off with a few swipes of mascara. Jeremy, meanwhile, rummaged around her room, tossing clothes from one end to the other in search of a decent outfit. She trusted her brother with the task. He was a guy, so he'd know what another guy would like seeing her in.

"Here," he said, just as she was putting on a pair of earrings. She had to admit that she was impressed. Jeremy was good at this. He'd laid out a short, casual navy blue dress, laid a belt over the middle and placed her favorite pair of boots at the foot of the bed.

"When did you become a fashion mastermind?" she asked skeptically.

"I may be a jock, but I'm not a dumb one," he said with a smirk, nudging her playfully. "You deserve this, Elena. You deserve to be happy."

She was suffocating again, but she strong-armed her emotions it to a manageable state. She'd survived this long without those pills. She'd been face to face with the man who provided them to her and she hadn't even felt a twinge of need. Maybe she could start now, start being the sister that Jeremy deserved. Start being the person he thought she was.

"Thanks, Jeremy," she said softly, loving these moments with her brother. They were all each other had, and she loved him more than anything. She needed to be the sister he could depend on to get them out of this house.

"C'mon," he said, picking up the dress and throwing it into her hands. "Let's get you dressed for the ball."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Elena parked her car at the end of the Lockwood's long, crowded driveway. Her nerves were at an all time high, but so was her excitement. Damon had asked her to come. He wanted to be seen with her in front of his teammates, in front of other students, people who weren't shy about their feelings toward her. She was shocked she'd even turned up here in the first place. It was a testament to just how much Damon had gotten under her skin. She grabbed her bag from the passenger seat before locking the car doors and heading up the familiar walk.

The Lockwood mansion was well known for hosting many parties, dances, pageants and founders events. She'd attended nearly every event they held here as a kid, up until her mom went crazy. She'd even competed in the Miss Mystic Falls pageant a few months before her mom lost it. It was the same night Elena had caught her dad cheating on her mom with a woman she'd never seen before. It broke her heart, but finally explained how agitated he'd been, how easily he would snap, the drinking, all of it explained in that one life changing moment.

Elena shook her head and fought the temptation to run. She'd run that night, hiding her head in the sand, pretending she'd never witnessed her dad's betrayal. She wanted to run now, to pretend the thing growing between her and Damon didn't exist, because it scared the shit out of her. But she kept walking.

The further up the drive she went, the more people she saw. They were lingering out by the cars and scattered across the lawn. She tried to keep her hair shielding her face, hoping they wouldn't recognize her, but she heard the familiar silence as she approached and then their amplified whispers once she passed.

Screw it, she thought, as she flipped her hair over one shoulder and held her head up high. Damon had asked her to come. She was only here for him, not for the entertainment of her classmates.

She climbed the front steps and heard the pounding music. It was dark inside the house, and she could smell the alcohol the moment she walked in. For a few months after her mother died, she'd indulged in alcohol, but she didn't want to be like her father, so she'd stopped.

The lights were dimmed and there were people everywhere. She squinted into the dark, trying to find Damon. She weaved through the small crowd, moving deeper into the house, and with every step she took, her anxiety only increased.

As she rounded another corner, she heard a very feminine giggle. Her eyes searched for the source of the sound and her heart dropped. There was Rebekah wrapped up in Damon's arms, one hand fisted in his hair and the other gripping his bicep, as he had her held tightly around the waist. They were so close that their noses were almost touching.

Elena's stomach lurched, and she turned away, unable to watch any longer. Her feet carried her straight out of the house while her throat tightened, but she knew she wouldn't cry. She never cried. Not once since her mother died.

All she saw in her head was Damon and Rebekah, and she kept telling herself she being overly-dramatic. She had no hold over Damon; he could be with whomever he wanted. She had no reason to be upset, no reason to feel like her heart was breaking. She didn't deserve the good things that happened to her. She lied. She slept around. She hurt people.

This was exactly why love wasn't for her. She was so naive. She couldn't believe how easily she'd trusted Damon. How she'd just eaten up every bit of attention he'd given her. How could she be so stupid? Had she not learned anything in the last two years?

Her breaths became shorter as she rushed down the long drive to her car. She could barely breathe. It was as if the betrayal she felt was sitting on her chest. If she didn't calm down, she'd go into a full-blown panic attack.

How cruel was the universe? Earlier today she'd been so relieved that she'd been able to face Atticus without feeling the need for her pills. Now it was all she could think about. She got into her car and drove, on autopilot, to the familiar small brick house on the other side of town.

It was late, but she needed him - needed what only he could give her. Her fist hit the wood door with more force than she'd intended, but the pain only fueled her need. With every second that ticked by, she felt herself nearing the abyss that threatened to suck her in. She hated the darkness now that she'd seen the light, even if the light was a fraud.

The door swung open, revealing the only person who could help her now. The only person who could give her back the numbness she needed to survive. The emptiness was better than the dark.

"Elena," he said, confusion evident in his voice. "What are you doing here?"

"I need you."

* * *

***ducks* Don't spear me just yet. **

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**Reviews are love and candy and hugs and every good thing in this world. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi all! Yes, I am aware that I absolutely suck at replying to reviews. I've been packing like crazy because I move in TWO DAYS! GAH! So I hope you will all be okay with me giving you a big THANK YOU SO FREAKING MUCH right here and now. Seriously, your reviews have gotten me through the writer's block I had all week.**

**Another big, giant thanks goes to Layla Reyne who is my amazing beta. Her advice is invaluable. She also just posted TWO new AH/AU stories and you should all check them out The Left Coast and Four Tragedies. They are both going to be awesome.**

**And thanks to Kate for her prereading assistance. Go read her stories as well, she is so talented.**

**Okay, onto the good stuffs...**

* * *

Elena never showed.

Damon had practically fallen on his knees and begged her to go with him and she'd never shown. Had he misread all of her signals? The way she'd trembled when he kissed her the first time, the way she'd nearly leapt on him in his apartment, the way she'd relaxed in his arms after he'd assured her he did indeed want to be with her. He hated admitting it, but he was hurt and far too prideful to call or text her. He didn't want to hear that she'd cast him aside just like his father had done.

Needless to say, his sour mood carried him all the way to Monday. He'd been a grump to Alaric that morning, only muttering one-word answers to all of his questions. He berated himself for letting a girl affect him so much. He was a big boy who'd dealt with plenty of girls before. Elena was no different.

He sighed out aloud; even his brain was screaming that he was a liar.

He was trying not look like a stalker, despite leaving his class early and high-tailing it to the dining hall just to catch her before she walked in. He stayed as close to the main entry way as possible so she'd be able to find him easily without him looking too eager. When he finally spotted her, she had her head down, her hair hanging like a shield around her. It was the complete opposite of how she usually held herself on campus. She looked... defeated.

"Elena!" He called her name before he could think twice about it. Her head snapped up so fast that some of the strands of her hair went flying around her face and shoulders. Her eyes grew wide with surprise before he watched her go running behind that shell, behind whatever she thought could protect her.

"Can I help you?" she asked, sounding bored as she tried to maneuver around him.

He blocked her path and scanned her face. She was giving nothing away. "What happened on Saturday? I waited for you."

She took a step back as if he'd slapped her. When her shock cleared, she crossed her arms over her chest and laughed humorlessly. "I'm sure you found somebody to bide your time with."

What the hell did she mean by that? He was about to ask her to explain when a familiar accented voice rang out.

"Hi baby!" Rebekah said, plastering herself to his side and overwhelming him with the smell of her perfume. God, did she bathe in it? She smiled up at him, pressing her breasts more firmly into his arm when she noticed Elena standing there. Rebekah's gaze was pure ice, though Elena looked completely unaffected.

"What are you doing with the slut?" Rebekah asked and if it was possible, pushed herself even closer to him.

Elena snorted and rolled her eyes before they collided with his. "I rest my case."

With that, she turned on her heel and disappeared through the dining hall doors.

"Wait!" he called out as the door slammed shut behind her.

"Let's go inside, baby," Rebekah purred, sliding her arms around his waist. Ever since he'd caught her when she tripped at the party Saturday, she'd been clinging to him like a drowning passenger would a life raft.

"Don't call me that," he spat, prying her arms off of him. Her perfume was giving him a headache and her accent grated on his nerves.

After blowing Rebekah off, Damon sat with his teammates through lunch and watched Elena like a hawk. Like a stalker was more like it and if he had an ounce of dignity left, he'd stop, but he didn't. He was in deep trouble where Elena was concerned. He'd never, ever wanted a girl more than she'd wanted him. He wanted to run across the room and ask her why she was giving him the cold shoulder, what had he done wrong? But he wouldn't, he'd be a man about it - at least on the outside, longing stares notwithstanding. He wished he could say something like it was her loss, but it wasn't. It was his.

He took his time walking to class after lunch, his feelings for Elena at war inside him. What he felt for her went way beyond what was normal after only knowing someone for a few weeks, but there was something in her that called to him. He wanted to be her light just as much as she was becoming his. But since he was a child, he'd been told feelings meant weakness. Though being with Elena made him feel strong.

He entered the classroom just before their professor and hesitated before deciding to be a man and sit in his regular spot - right next to Elena. He was pleased with the surprise that flashed across her face right before she schooled it into a mask of indifference. It gave him a little hope that he could still affect her.

Their class and lab went by quickly since they were busy gearing up for their next practical and lecture exam. Though Elena studiously ignored him, he couldn't say the same. He kept glancing over at her in the dark classroom, watching her hands move as she picked through different bones and noticing how her brow scrunched up when she had trouble remembering the name of a particular muscle or ligament.

She brushed off his every attempt to speak to her, and he could feel the hostility rolling off of her, despite her best attempts to pretend she wasn't bothered.

When their lab was dismissed, Damon followed Elena out the door, hot on her heels, determined to find out what was wrong.

"Elena!" he said, wrapping his fingers around her arm to stop her.

She snatched her arm away from him with a glare. "What?"

The venom in her voice stopped him short. What could he have possibly done to make her so angry? How had he been so wrong about her feelings for him?

"What's wrong? What did I do?" he asked, taking a defeated step away from her.

She choked out a humorless laugh.

"Damon! Get your ass moving, we have practice!" somebody called down the breezeway, cutting Elena off before she could reply to him.

He let out a heavy sigh, running a hand through his hair. He glanced behind him to see Tyler and Matt at the end of the hall, waving him down. He stifled a groan before turning back to Elena, but she was gone. All he saw was her retreating back.

With a muttered curse, he turned and stalked off toward the pool, looking forward to swimming away some tension.

* * *

Damon's plan failed. Where he wanted to take his aggression out in the pool, it just made it worse. His performance at practice was sub-par at best, only adding to his already shitty day.

He stomped into his apartment, nearly nailing Stefan in the face when he threw his bag on the couch "What the hell is the matter with you?" Stefan snapped, tossing Damon's bag onto an open armchair.

Damon wandered over to the refrigerator, grunting an unintelligible reply. He glared at the cans of Dr. Pepper that he'd stocked up on with Elena in mind. What an idiot he'd been. He snatched a can of Coke before slamming the door shut with much more force than necessary.

"Where's your study buddy?" Stefan asked as Damon collapsed onto the couch next to him.

"Pissed at me," Damon grumbled, taking a long swig of his soda.

Stefan closed his textbook and set it on the coffee table, giving Damon his full attention. "What did you do?"

Damon shook his head and then dropped it onto the back of the couch. "I have no fucking clue."

A pounding knock on their door cut off Stefan's reply. He got up off the couch and opened the door without bothering to check who was there.

"Hey-" Stefan's greeting trailed off as Elena pushed her way into the apartment.

"You need to put a muzzle on your bitch," she snarled at Damon, her face was red with rage and her chest heaving. He had to admit, it was kind of a turn on seeing her so worked up.

"I'm going to go," Stefan said awkwardly, grabbing his keys and wallet before slipping out the door with a muttered, "See you later."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Damon sat up straight, setting his can on the coffee table.

"I trusted you, Damon, and you lied to me!" she cried, her voice cracking a bit before she covered it with a look of sheer ice. "I don't need your goddamn pity." She pointed a finger at him and then ran her hand through her hair, lifting her gaze to the ceiling. "God, you know what, this, _this_ is why I keep everyone at arm's length."

Confusion settled like a fog in his mind. He had no idea what he'd lied about; if anything, he thought he'd been too honest, that he'd scared her away and that was why she'd never showed on Saturday.

Damon rose up off the couch, unable to stay so far away from her when she was hurting. "Elena."

"Stop, just stop!" she said, shaking her head and taking a step back just as he took one toward her.

She looked like she was about to bold. "Elena, wait," he begged. "Talk to me. What is this all about?"

Tension rolled off of her in waves, nearly suffocating him. But he couldn't let her leave, not like this. Not when there was so much left unsaid between them.

"Rebekah!" she nearly screamed. "I saw you with her at the party holding her like you were never going to let go. I showed up to tell you that I wanted you too, and after the other night, I thought you felt the same way about me. But I was so fucking wrong." She shook her head sadly, the fight and rage leaving her voice. "You just pitied me. You pitied the psychopath that everyone hates. Well, I don't need your pity."

Her revelation rocked his world. She had shown up. For him. Because she wanted to be with him too. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. And of course she'd walked into that party at the exact wrong time, taking what she'd seen completely out of context.

"Rebekah tripped and fell, and I caught her before she smacked her head on the tile," Damon tried to explain, but Elena was already shaking her head, her brown eyes filled with anger. He could also see the hurt inside them.

"That's a great story, but she told me the rest." She crossed her arms over her chest like a shield, like she needed to protect herself from him. Like she was afraid of him and that implication hurt like a bitch. "How you were nice because you felt bad for me. How you planned to take Jeremy out with the guys to get him away from the psych patient. To give him a normal night for once."

It was Damon's turn to shake his head. He took slow, careful steps toward Elena, praying she wouldn't run. "I didn't say any of that. God, I don't even like Rebekah, damn it! I waited all night for you. I only want you!"

His words hung between them and all he could hear was the sound of his heart pounding. He could see the shock in her eyes - all of her defenses were down now. In the silence, the pull that he felt toward her only amplified and as if on their own, his feet carried him closer to her, physically unable to stay away.

She didn't move as he approached, only stared up at him with those big startled eyes and her lips parted. He slid his hands into her hair, cupping the back of her neck and forcing her to look up at him.

"You're the only one I want," he whispered, laying himself bare and hoping she could see the truth in his eyes.

The shock and surprise in her eyes morphed into wonder. Her hands ghosted up his sides, her fingers trailing along his arms before wrapping around his wrists, either to hold him to her or to push him away, he wasn't sure. He didn't have to wait long to find out.

"Me too," she replied, her voice soft and shy, so unlike the strong and steely girl that she presented to the rest of the world.

He stared at her in awe, savoring the privilege of seeing the real Elena. Leaning in slowly, he watched in satisfaction as her breath hitched and her eyes fluttered shut. He waited only a second, soaking in her reaction to him, before finally pressing his lips to hers. They were so soft, so pliable, and so unlike the kiss she initiated in this very spot. This time, he was in control and she all but melted against him.

He held her gently, moving his lips against hers slowly, unwilling to rush this moment. His fingers threaded into her hair and tilted her head to the side, allowing him to deepen the kiss. He loved the taste of her, and he was sure he'd never get enough of it. The moment his tongue slid across hers, Elena came to life. Her hands trailed down his arms and to his stomach, her fingers burning his skin, even through the cotton of his T-shirt. One of his hands ventured down her spine, resting at the base and pulling her into him. He couldn't get close enough, couldn't feel enough of her body against his.

Her hands ran up his chest and tangled in his hair, driving him to the brink of insanity. He backed her into the wall, the same wall they'd groped each other against just last week. And yet, so many things had changed since that night. He finally had Elena, all of her, walls down and everything. If he didn't want to get attached, that was shot to hell the moment she told him that she wanted him too.

His lips blazed a trail down her throat while his fingers slipped under her shirt and pressed against her warm silky skin. When he nipped at her collarbone, he was rewarded with a moan from deep in her throat. She was always so put together and the fact that he could undo her only fueled the fire. She pressed her body against his, rubbing him in all the right places. Her hands made their way down his chest again, but this time slipped under the hem of his shirt. He gasped a little when her fingertips brushed his bare skin; it felt like firecrackers were erupting from each point of contact.

He pulled away from her briefly and she took the opportunity to push his shirt up his torso and over his head, discarding it on the floor beside them. She leaned back and drank him in with her eyes, ratcheting up the tightness in his jeans to an almost unbearable degree. When her eyes rose back up to meet his, she gave him a sassy smirk before curling her fingers into the hem of her own shirt, pulling it over her head and tossing it aside.

Damon's mouth went completely dry, and he was mesmerized by the pale pink lacy bra that made her skin look even more inviting. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she leaned forward and sucked on his raging pulse point, nearly bringing him to his knees when she used her teeth to gently score the skin there. Like a match being thrown onto gasoline, they ignited. Her lips were back on his, sucking and biting, while his hands went right to her ass, lifting her up so he could grind himself in the warm V of her legs.

He stumbled down the hall to his room, his lips still fused with Elena's as he carried her. He kicked his door shut behind them and shuffled across the dark room to lay her on his bed. He'd be lying if he said he didn't like the way she looked on his sheets with her hair spread out around her. He leaned over her, planting a knee on the mattress, and kissed and licked and nipped his way down her chest, teasing the swells of her breasts. He wasted no time doing away with the scrap of fabric.

Damon loved the way her breasts fit perfectly in his hands. When he leaned down to take one of her nipples in his mouth, Elena's fingers threaded through his hair, spurring him on. He alternated between the two until she was squirming and moaning almost uncontrollably. His mouth continued down her stomach, enjoying the taste of her skin.

His fingers quickly worked the button and zipper of her jeans, pulling them and her panties off in one easy tug. He ran his hands up those legs that went on for days, teasing her inner thigh as he crawled up next to her on the bed and captured her lips once more. His fingers found her center hot and wet and ready, causing him to growl, and her throaty chuckle was nearly his undoing. But, when he dipped a finger, then two inside her, she wasn't laughing any longer. He kissed her all over while he drove her to the edge again and again until she was digging her nails into his back and gasping in big gulps of air.

"Damon, please," she whispered breathlessly, pulling him back by his hair and nailing him with those big brown eyes.

"I've got you," he replied, sliding off the bed and smiling at her mewl of objection. He dropped his pants and underwear so fast it probably set a record. He felt Elena's eyes on him as he reached into his nightstand and rolled on the condom he found there. Lowering himself over her, he kissed her again, unable to stop himself even if he wanted to.

"Are you sure?" he asked, propping himself up on his forearms so he could look her in the eye.

The sweet smile that tugged at her lips was like the sun breaking through on a cloudy day.

She wrapped one hand around the back of his neck and pulled herself up. "I'm sure," she whispered, pressing a soft kiss to his lips, as her other hand slid down his stomach and grasped his erection. He let out a strangled moan as she positioned him. With a deep breath, he pushed into her slowly, nearly passing out from the perfection that engulfed him. Elena's nails dug into the nape of his neck and into his ass as he started to really move . She moved with him, wrapping her legs around his waist and crying out when he pushed back into her, rubbing her in all the right places.

They moved together like they'd known each other for years rather than mere weeks. Her lips pressed into every inch of his skin that she came in contact with, making him feel like a king. Somehow he knew that no matter how many guys she'd slept with, they'd never seen this side of her. The sweet, beautiful person that he got to see.

"Oh God, Damon," she panted, her voice inching up in octaves as his speed increased. He pulled his head back from where it was resting in the curve of her neck and watched the pleasure build on her face. He could feel his own brewing inside, like an animal trying to claw its way out.

The sounds of skin sliding against skin and their heavy breathing filled his room. He couldn't look away from her eyes. He framed her face in his hands, kissing her softly while his body powered into hers. She cried out and threw her head back as she tilted her hips, accepting all of him and taking all the pleasure she wanted. Her hand pulled his head back to her neck and her teeth gently nipped his ear.

"Please don't stop," she begged softly, almost shyly.

Damon buried one hand in her hair while the other went to her hip, pulling her tightly him, pushing her toward the release he knew was coming. Calling out his name as she finally exploded around him, her nails scored his back and her inner walls milked him greedily. Her moans and gasps fueled him on and with just a few more thrusts, he hurdled over the edge as well, groaning into her neck and collapsing on top of her.

They laid there for several minutes, getting their heart rates under control. When Damon began to roll off of her, Elena tightened her arms and legs around him, grunting in displeasure.

"Don't move, not yet," she said lazily, and he was happy to oblige, especially when her fingers were gliding softly up and down his spine and her lips were pressing light kisses to his shoulder. Several minutes later, once she loosened her grip, he pulled back just enough to press his mouth to hers before rolling off of her to clean up.

He wasn't sure what to expect when he crawled back under the covers, afraid that she might shut him out again. But when he settled on his side facing her, she immediately closed the distance between them, snuggling herself into his chest and tangling her legs with his. Her little sigh of contentment when he wrapped his arms around her had him set for life. He could live off the happiness brought from that sound alone.

"I haven't felt this in a long time," she whispered, her head still nuzzled into his chest.

"Felt what?" he asked, running a hand through her silky hair.

He felt her smile against his skin. "Peaceful."

XXXX

**Thank you all again for your support. It means the world.**

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	8. Chapter 8

**Hello again. I feel like it's been ages. SO much has happened the past two weeks. For those who don't know, I moved 14 hours away from home and started school all in the last week. Let me just say, taking 16 university credit hours after a year off of school is overwhelming on the first week. So needless to say, I've been busier than I ever have been. I have a few chapters written already, but there could be more weeks in the future that I skip a weekend update. I hope you all will put up with me until I get into a good routine here. **

**Moving on... Again, a MASSIVE thank you goes to Layla Reyne for being an amazing beta/prereader/sounding board/friend. She's working on two stories right now and you _need_ to check them out! They are amazing and they are going to go amazing places! **

**Alright, NOW onto the good stuff...**

* * *

Elena couldn't remember a time when she'd felt so calm. Her mind was quiet, her body sated, and she could breathe easily. It was a sort of inner peace that she couldn't remember ever feeling. And instead of fighting against it because she knew it wouldn't last – good things never did for her - she reveled in it, breathed it in and let it saturate her entire being. Soaking up as much of it as possible while she still could.

She let out a soft sigh, trying to hold back the ridiculous grin threatening to break out on her face. She was draped across Damon, their legs still tangled, her fingers tracing random patterns on his bare chest and Damon's doing the same on her back. The silence between them was comfortable: no words were needed.

Being with Damon was unlike any experience she'd ever had with a guy. With others, she always held back, kept herself in control, only using sex as a release. With Damon, it was like something inside of her broke free. She gave herself over to him completely, caring just as much about his pleasure as she did her own. She wanted to feel every inch of him, touch every part of him. She wanted to crawl inside of him and stay there, let him keep her safe, let him thaw the cold in her heart. She let go of all the pain she'd been carrying around and just allowed herself to be in the moment.

Elena knew she didn't deserve someone like Damon. Sure he had a rough past, but that only made her feel more connected to him. He was kind, funny, good-looking - God, was he good-looking - and honest. She knew that if she'd just gone straight to him to ask for the truth about what she'd seen at that party that he'd have told her.

She felt guilty for believing Rebekah's lies. Damon hadn't done anything to indicate that he pitied her and maybe that was exactly why it'd been so easy to believe Rebekah. If he'd truly used her and lied to her, it would hurt worse than any betrayal she'd ever known.

And it scared her because for the first time, somebody held the power to hurt her - not physically, like her father, but emotionally. Damon could break her from the inside out, and she didn't want him to have that power. She didn't want anyone to have that power over her. It was terrifying.

Looking up at him, Damon seemed just as deep in thought as she was.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked, her quiet voice sounding loud in the silence.

His impossibly blue eyes drifted down, simply gazing at her for a full minute before a small smirk pulled at one corner of his mouth. "Us."

She searched his eyes, totally confused. "Us?"

"Yeah, us," he repeated, a little unsure this time. "I mean, if there is an us...?"

Oh wow.

_Oh God_.

She was having a silent girlish freak out. Blood rushed to her cheeks while she tried to exude a calm and unruffled exterior, which was no doubt undercut by the stupid grin on her face. "I'd like there to be an us."

His cocky smirk morphed into a sweet smile as he wrapped his arms around her and hauled her up his torso. "Me too."

He pulled her down, taking her lips in a kiss. He tried to deepen in, but she wiggled her way off him and toward the edge of the bed. She didn't get far before he pulled her back to him. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I need to get home," she said, still smiling like an idiot.

He grumbled and tightened his arms around her, causing her to giggle. "I don't want you to," he whined.

She leaned down, pressing a quick kiss to his lips and pulling away before he could try and deepen it again. "I don't either, but I have to."

His demeanor went from playful to serious in an instant, and she tensed, knowing what was coming. "Are you going to be okay there?"

She didn't like how much he knew. She could see the worry in his eyes, but she refused to be weak. She was weak once and it blew up in her face. She wouldn't let it happen again. "I'll be fine."

He looked like he wanted to say more, to push the subject, to ask questions, but he didn't. And it only made her like him even more.

"Okay, I'll walk you down," he said, pushing himself up off the mattress. Elena tried not to stare as the sheet fell from his body. He gave her a wicked smile over his shoulder as he crossed the room to the dresser and slipped on a pair of basketball shorts. No underwear, she noted mentally, before her gaze swept over his naked back, which was just as attractive as his naked front. She silently praised the heavens for competitive swim.

Shaking her head to clear her lustful thoughts, she slid off the bed in search of her own clothes. As she was pulling her panties up her legs, she felt his eyes on her. The blush that followed warmed every inch of skin that was on display for him. After what they'd done, she didn't expect to be shy. She was never shy about her body, but then again, it seemed everything was different with Damon.

She rolled her eyes, trying to ignore the heat of his stare as she slipped the rest of her clothes on and followed him to the front door. She was attempting to finger-comb her sex hair into submission when they descended the stairs and ran directly into Stefan.

The three of them stopped dead in their tracks, an awkward silence settling between them. Stefan eyed them curiously with wide, shocked eyes, and she knew exactly how they looked - her in slightly wrinkled clothes with messy hair and Damon in just a pair of shorts, his own hair sticking out all over the place. They looked like they'd just rolled out of bed. Together.

"Hey, guys," Stefan said finally, fighting a knowing grin.

Again, Elena could feel her cheeks flush. Damon let out a sigh, shaking his head as he tangled his fingers with hers and tugged her around Stefan.

"Shut up, Stef," Damon said, rolling his eyes as he towed her toward the parking lot.

When Stefan was out of earshot, they both burst into laughter.

"I can't believe that happened. Could we look any more obvious?" she wheezed between giggles.

"His face was priceless," Damon chuckled, pulling her against his body and wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Well," she said, burying her face into his chest, still smiling. "There's no doubt now that we're together, I guess?"

"Oh, we're together," Damon replied cockily, threading one hand through her hair and tilting her head back so that he could press his lips against hers.

"Are you sure you have to leave?" he asked when she pulled away a few moments later.

"You'll see me tomorrow, Romeo," Elena laughed, playfully pushing against his chest.

As she drove away from Damon and the sense of inner peace that he brought to her, she couldn't help but glance up at her rear view mirror, watching him until he disappeared in the distance and wishing the entire time that she could turn the car around and run back into his arms.

* * *

Elena wasn't sure if she'd ever walked onto campus with a smile. Jeremy had been there when she arrived back at home last night, so John had thankfully ignored her altogether, and she'd slept like a baby. It was wonderful. Today she felt strong, like she could take on anyone, even Rebekah. Especially Rebekah.

She hitched her bag up on her shoulder, holding her head a little higher, as she made her way through the halls, tamping down on the bit of panic that arose when she passed by Professor Shane's office. After their disastrous meeting Saturday night, he was the last person she wanted to see. The moment he'd touched her, her anxiety had increased ten-fold. She'd grabbed the small bottle of salvation and ran. It wasn't part of their deal, but she couldn't deal with his concern and sad, pity-filled eyes.

Her attempt at concentrating during class was a joke. Her mind kept drifting back to Damon's hard muscles and she could practically feel his hands on her body, making her come alive. All she could hear was the sound of skin against skin and his disjointed breathing in her ear. God, just thinking about him, about them intimately together that way, was getting her all hot and bothered in the middle of her communications class. She needed to get ahold of herself. Yet even with more PG-rated thoughts, she couldn't get rid of that stupid grin on her face.

She scolded herself for being so totally wrapped up in another person. It only led to pain, but her heart wasn't yet ready to accept that inevitable conclusion. Especially when she found Damon waiting for her outside the dining hall. Especially when his face lit up like a firecracker on the Fourth of July when his blue eyes landed on her dark brown ones. And especially when, in front of everyone, he marched right up to her, pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Right in front of everyone. Without a moment of hesitation.

"Hi," he said, a bit breathless, when they finally parted.

"Hi," she repeated with a smile.

"How was class?" he asked, still holding her close.

"Boring," she answered with a shrug as he stepped back, letting one hand trail down her arm until their fingers twined together.

He pulled her alongside him, right into the lion's den. Two, maybe three steps later, when they were barely through the doors, the place fell silent. Not faltering even once, Damon tugged her along, giving her strength to hold her head high and meet every jealous eye in the room.

After piling a tray full of his and her favorites, Damon led them to her – correction, their – usual table. "Did somebody die in here or what?" Damon asked as they sat down..

She smiled in response before busying herself by opening a can of Dr. Pepper and taking a sip. He seemed so unfazed by the stares and the whispers. It only made her heart want him more.

"Hey guys." Their heads both snapped up to see Stefan standing by their table with a brown paper sack in his hands. "Mind if I join you?"

Elena nodded and he slipped into one of the many open seats, opening the brown lunch bag and taking out his packed lunch. Everything was in its own plastic baggie. When he had each individual item set out on the table, he looked up, clearly realizing that two pairs of eyes were staring at him.

"What?"

"You pack your own brown sack lunch?" Elena asked, trying to hold back her giggles.

"Yeah?" he answered suspiciously.

Neither she nor Damon could hold it in any longer, the both of them bursting out in a fit of laughter. Stefan stared at them with wide, offended eyes while their eyes teared up and they worked to get themselves under control.

"I think you are weirder than I am," Elena finally said, trying to catch her breath.

"What?" Stefan asked again, this time sounding more like a whine.

Elena snorted, causing Damon to start laughing all over again. "I haven't had a brown sack lunch since my mother packed me one in the third grade!"

Stefan finally cracked a smile, but Damon's eyes were still dancing with mirth, making her heart flutter and her stomach flip. How did he manage that with only one look?

"Damon. Stefan." All three of their heads whirled in the direction of Tyler's voice. He was standing at the end of their table with his arm slung around Caroline's waist, holding her close. The blonde was glaring right at Elena.

"Tyler," Stefan replied. Damon's response was only a curt nod.

"There is a party Friday down at the Sigma Pi house. The whole team is going," Tyler told them. "You are both invited and it's invitation _only_." His emphasis on that last part and the contemptuous look he gave Elena made it perfectly clear that she was _not_ invited.

Damon's eyes darted between her and Tyler, noticing their silent exchange, before his arm snaked around her shoulders and pulled her tightly to his side. She stifled a smile at his blatant display of affection.

"Can't make it. I promised my girlfriend that I'd go to her brother's football game." Damon stared Tyler down, challenging him to say something about her in front of him. She lost her battle with the smile, letting it stretch wide across her face.

Caroline looked outraged and Tyler was obviously trying to look unaffected but failed miserably. Before they could walk away or attempt to have the last word, she leaned over and pressed a kiss to Damon's cheek.

"You're sweet, baby," she cooed, running her fingers along his chest. She looked up at Caroline and Tyler who were frozen in shock. "Isn't my man the sweetest?"

They backed away in a daze that was so comical, another giggle bubbled out of her mouth.

"Oh my God," Damon chuckled, pulling her close and kissing her temple. "You are such a badass."

* * *

"Jer, can you get the door?" Elena called from her spot halfway into the refrigerator.

They'd spent the day together shopping and seeing a movie. When they'd arrived home and found that John had been called to a crime scene, they smiled at each other and made plans to cook dinner.

Elena gathered the ingredients for baked penne, Jeremy's favorite. She heard him re-enter the kitchen just as she got the noodles boiling and the meat ready to brown.

"Who was at the door?" she asked, still facing the cooktop, her back turned away from the rest of the kitchen.

"Your boyfriend," Jeremy answered with a smile in his voice.

Elena whirled around so fast that she nearly knocked the pans off of the stove. But there Damon was, smiling at her shyly. That same smile she was unable to resist. His hair was damp; he'd probably just gotten back into town from his swim meet.

"What are you doing here?" she asked in a daze, her stomach still flipping at the sight of him.

His smile brightened as he held up her missing school bag. "You left this in my car after Jeremy's game last night."

"Thank you," she breathed.

"I invited Damon to dinner since it'll just be the three of us tonight," Jeremy piped in, giving Elena a look that said he would've never extended the invite to Damon if there were a chance John would be home.

She smiled in relief, loving her brother a little bit more than she thought was possible. They were a team in this house full of so much pain, the only support the other could depend on one hundred percent. She would do anything for him, to make sure he was safe, including staying in this house until she could take him away with her.

"Can I help?" Damon asked, pulling her back to the present. "I am Italian so I know my way around a kitchen."

Elena didn't expect the giggle that bubbled out of her lips. She couldn't remember the last time she'd laughed in her house. It was throwing her off having him in this place she hated.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she replied teasingly, "Okay, Salvatore, show me what you got."

He laughed, dropping her bag on a chair at the kitchen table and pushing his sleeves up his forearms, drawing her eyes to the powerful muscles just beneath the skin there. Goddamn, he was hot. And hers.

Elena and Damon worked seamlessly together, like two people who'd done this their entire lives. It was scary and comforting all at the same time. Jeremy stood at the island, tending to his usual job of preparing the salad, while the three of them discussed Jeremy's game and Damon's meet.

Damon asked her if he could add a few things to the sauce that he'd picked up from his mother, and she was happy to learn a few of his family's secret recipes. He was incredibly knowledgeable and she found herself getting distracted, stopping to watch him cook more than she was actually helping. Every time he caught her staring, he'd shoot her his cocky smirk that would quickly morph into a sweet smile full of admiration.

After two or three times, Jeremy's groan interrupted them.

"I'm going to starve if you two keep making moony eyes at each other," he complained with a playful shudder.

Elena felt the blood rush to her cheeks and her eyes bulge. Before she could reprimand him, Damon cut in.

"Keep your pants on," he replied jokingly. "You'll get fed, but I can't make any promises about the moony eyes."

Still with pink cheeks, Elena laughed and rolled her eyes.

_Boys_.

Jeremy set the table while Damon and Elena carried the food over, the kitchen smelling like an Italian restaurant. She had no doubt that Damon's additions to the sauce would turn out deliciously. Just as they all sat down, ready to fill their plates and stuff their faces, the unmistakable sound of a key unlocking the front door echoed down the hallway leading to the kitchen.

Shock froze both Elena and Jeremy, and they exchanged panicked glances. Elena felt her stomach drop. John was the last person in her life she wanted Damon around. If Damon ever saw in her what John saw, he'd never look at her again.

"I wasn't aware we were having company tonight," John said with thinly veiled disdain as he entered the kitchen. Damon - to his absolute credit - didn't even squirm under John's scathing gaze.

Damon rose from his seat and approached her father, holding out his hand to shake. "Sorry, sir, I just stopped by to drop Elena's bag off," he explained.

"I invited him, Dad," Jeremy said, interrupting.

John grunted noncommittally as he appraised Damon once more before getting himself a plate and utensils and sitting at the head of the table. He served himself before anyone else had a chance to.

"So tell me about yourself, Mr..." John said after swallowing a mouthful of food.

"Salvatore. Damon Salvatore, and I'm from Knoxville, Tennessee, born and raised. I attended the University of Tennessee before I got awarded a scholarship to swim for MFU," Damon told him, passing the food dishes so Elena could fill her plate first. He gave her a small smile before turning back to her father.

"Salvatore?" John asked, suddenly interested. "As in Salvatore Hotels?"

Damon shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, that's the one."

This was news to her. He'd never once acted like he'd come from a wealthy family. Other than his car, he lived pretty humbly.

John's humorless laugh drew her attention back to the increasingly awkward situation at her kitchen table. "So what is the heir to the Salvatore fortune doing slumming it with my daughter?"

Every sound in the kitchen went utterly quiet as Damon and Jeremy stared at John with wide eyes. Elena only dropped hers in shame. This was what she was afraid of, this was why she wanted to keep Damon far, far away from her father. She wasn't ready for him to see what her father saw.

"Dad," Jeremy warned, his voice nervous and concerned.

"I'm sorry?" Damon asked at the same time, the anger in his voice unmistakable. She felt his eyes glance over at her and soon after, she felt his hand come to rest on her knee, giving it a comforting squeeze.

"I imagine you haven't heard the things this town says about her, considering you are here in the first place."

"I have heard what people say about her, and I know first hand that none of it's true. Your daughter is smart, funny and strong, and she is the only reason I'm passing our Anatomy lab with an A. So really, she's the one slumming it with me."

His words penetrated to the very core of her soul and warmed her from the inside out. The conviction in the way he spoke about her and the way he never took his eyes off her father only proved how much she didn't deserve him. But it didn't stop her from soaking up every word and cherishing them.

Her eyes studied his profile and her fingers tangled with his on her knee. Her body only warmed further when he glanced over at her with concerned eyes and gripped her hand tighter.

John looked around the table, sensing the obvious tension in the room and laughed again, this time uncomfortably. "I'm just joking. C'mon, lighten up."

Jeremy's eyes dropped to his plate as he muttered, "It wasn't funny."

The tension in the air didn't dissipate through the rest of the meal. Jeremy and Damon kept up small talk and John piped in a few times, followed by an awkward silence before they'd change the subject. Elena, however, said nothing. She just ate without tasting and took strength from the place where Damon's hand laid on her knee.

After three beers and not a word of thanks for dinner, John retired to the living room, the sounds from the TV floating into the kitchen. Jeremy and Damon both helped her put away the leftovers and wash the dishes. Though the ease that was between them earlier had completely vanished.

"Are you okay, Elena?" Jeremy asked quietly after Damon had excused himself to the restroom.

"I'm fine, Jer. It's nothing I haven't heard before," she said with a sigh.

"I hate this. You shouldn't be stuck in a house and forced to listen to things like that," Jeremy nearly growled. "You're so much better than this house and this shitty town."

She turned to him then, wrapping her hand around his. "We are better than this shitty town, and I'm going to get us out of here. All you need to worry about is graduating on time."

"I love you, you know that right?" he said seriously, gripping her hands between both of his. "You're the best sister a guy could ever ask for."

"I love you, too," Elena replied, feeling the truth of their words to the very core of her being. They were a team. They had each other's backs. And they loved each other more than anyone else in the world.

"I'm going over to Luca's tonight," Jeremy said, breaking the silence that had fallen between them. She knew what he was saying. It was the same conversation they always had when he wasn't spending the night at the house.

"I'll see if Damon will let me stay over." With her words, his eyes lost some of the concern in them, replaced by genuine happiness.

"I like Damon," he stated firmly, the conviction in his voice catching her off guard. "I like him for you. What he said to John. The fact that the man can intimidate the pants off of just about anyone, and Damon went toe to toe with him on your behalf, without even blinking, says a lot about the kind of man he is."

Wow. She and Jeremy spoke openly with each other, but she'd never heard something like that from him. Probably because she never brought guys around him. Even if she did, they'd never be good enough to earn that kind of praise. Only Damon.

Once Jeremy retreated upstairs to finish some homework before leaving for Luca's, Damon and Elena found themselves on her front porch, swaying gently in the porch swing. The warmth from the day was still in the air, but a cool breeze made the night comfortable. Elena had yet to say much to Damon since dinner. In truth, she was shocked that Damon had seen a little bit of the awful John Gilbert and had still chosen to stick around. She was terrified he'd start to ask questions and maybe figure out what really happened in the Gilbert house. That he'd finally see the darkness inside her, see how ugly and scarred she was inside and take off running like he should have done a few weeks ago when they'd first met. She wanted to hold onto him for as long as she could before that day came because she knew it would eventually.

"Are you okay?" Damon's voice broke the silence, his arm tightening around her. "You're awfully quiet."

Elena sighed. Was she okay? She'd grown used to the way John treated her, but she'd never experienced him humiliating her in front of someone she cared for. Not like this. "I'm sorry," she answered finally. "And I'm sorry you had to be around him. He's... intense."

"Don't be sorry," he said, tightening his arms around her, his voice sure and unwavering. "We don't get to choose our parents."

She studied his profile as he stared out into the yard. How could someone so beautiful understand her better than anyone she'd ever met? Sure, he didn't know the whole truth behind what she dealt with in her own house, with her own parent, but he knew what it was like to never be good enough in a father's eyes. He understood without realizing just how profound that was for her. It gave her hope that maybe, just maybe, she could be good enough for somebody like him. Somebody good and kind despite the unworthy person his father claimed that he was.

"Damon?" Elena said softly.

"Yeah?" he replied, turning and pinning her with those amazingly blue eyes.

"Can I stay with you tonight?"

"I thought you'd never ask," he answered instantly, his eyes twinkling before leaning forward to give her a sweet, tender kiss, chasing away the demons and restoring that sense of inner peace that she found so easily in his arms.

* * *

**Thank you guys for all the love and reviews and support you all give me and for all the luck you wished me with my move. I seriously love you all so much and I love this community. It's all of you that makes all the work and writing and frustrations worth it. Thank you so, so much. I really mean it, even if I don't get around to replying to all of them.**

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**Reviews are love. Really, and I love all of you. Really.**


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm alive, I swear! Thank you all for your wonderful reviews and well wishes. School is awesome, but SO busy. It's insane and I've been job hunting which hasn't been easy in this tiny town. **

**A HUGE thank you goes to Layla Reyne for being an awesome beta and an even awesome-er friend. She has two stories she's working on and I suggest y'all go check them out. They are amazing!**

**Okay! On with the show!**

* * *

The shrill ring of a cell phone pulled Damon from his warm, happy sleep. He groaned and reached behind him, feeling around for the offending object – a difficult task seeing as he refused to remove his face from Elena's neck and his chest from her back. She was the source of all the warmth and happiness he was presently feeling.

"Shut off that fucking phone," Elena growled, her voice rough with sleep and so goddamn sexy.

Disentangling himself from her and earning an unintelligible groan that made him smile even more, he rolled over to snatch up and silence the phone. He glanced at the screen and it was his turn to groan. Knowing he had no chance of avoiding this conversation, he pulled on a pair of boxers and slipped into the hallway and out onto the balcony.

He barely had the phone to his ear before he heard, "Damon."

"Father," he replied, dropping into the lone chair on the balcony. He hung his head, resting his forehead in his free hand. His father had only uttered one word and he was already tired of this conversation.

"I'm trusting you'll be ready for Katherine's arrival in two weeks."

Damon stifled another groan. Shit. He'd totally forgotten that Katherine was coming to Mystic Falls. And staying in his apartment. He knew he needed to give Elena a heads up, but he also knew that despite her incredible strength, there was a still part of her that was emotionally fragile. She wouldn't like hearing that his ex-fiancée was staying at his apartment. Hell, she didn't even know he had an ex-fiancée. She'd never asked, and he'd never offered either. He was royally screwed.

"I don't really have a choice now, do I?" Damon grumbled, growing more and more agitated with the whole scenario.

"You need to watch your tone," Giuseppe snapped. He had the ability to make Damon feel like a child in less than four seconds.

"Yes, sir," Damon sighed right before Giuseppe hung up.

Setting his phone aside, Damon stared out at the green trees and let the early morning breeze calm his thoughts. He reminded himself that there was a very naked, very snuggly Elena in his bed, and he'd be damned if he let his father keep him from her any longer.

She was on her side when he re-entered his bedroom, the bare skin of her back facing him - tempting him. He didn't waste another minute. Dropping his boxers, he rounded the bed and slid under the covers, pressing his skin against hers, trying to soak up as much of her warmth as he could.

He slid one arm under her pillow and wrapped the other around her waist, pulling her close. She stirred a little, a small mew escaping her throat before she nuzzled into his chest and sighed contentedly. Dropping a soft kiss on her head, he closed his own eyes and drifted back to sleep with her.

When he opened his eyes again, he was alone and he could tell that the sun was quite a bit higher in the sky than it had been earlier. He stretched his arm out and noted that the sheets were still warm. She hadn't been gone long.

He tugged on a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt before wandering out of his bedroom. From the hallway he could hear her voice and smell the breakfast she was cooking. Smiling, he rounded the corner and found Elena at the stove, wearing his boxers and one of his T-shirts, with her hair thrown into a sloppy bun atop her head that begged to be pulled out.

She threw her head back and laughed and that's when Damon noticed Stefan sitting at the breakfast bar, dressed and coiffed to perfection. He was smiling at Elena and chuckling right along with her. Damon watched them, only half listening to their conversation and enjoying the ease of their friendship. Damn, he was turning into a sap.

"Good morning," he said after a few more seconds, making his presence known.

Elena's head whirled around and she nailed him with a bright smile.

"Morning," his brother replied, but neither he nor Elena spared Stefan a glance. The longer he stared, the more her smile morphed into a shy, sweet grin.

"Hi," she greeted a bit breathlessly.

Damon finally tore his gaze from Elena when Stefan cleared his throat. Damon looked over at his brother, raising his eyebrows expectantly.

"As much as I'd love to sit here and possibly regurgitate my breakfast watching you two, I'm heading to the batting cages," Stefan said, as he snagged his bat bag off the floor and headed toward the door. "I'll see you guys later. Thanks for breakfast, Elena."

"Bye, Stefan," Elena said before turning back to the food on the stove.

Damon approached her from behind, watching her tend to the sizzling bacon and eggs over her shoulder. As if on their own accord, his arms reached out and wrapped around her waist, bringing his front tightly against her back. She relaxed into his hold, her concentration still on the food in front of her. Taking it as a challenge, Damon bent forward, pressing his lips to the soft skin of her neck before his tongue snaked out to take a taste. He had to suppress a smile when her breath caught and she practically melted in his arms.

"Stop distracting me," Elena grumbled, wriggling out of his arms to dish up the eggs and bacon onto two plates.

Damon gave her a saucy wink as he gathered silverware and cups from the cabinets and orange juice from the fridge. He tried to shake the contentment he felt at how domestic they were being together – it was too soon for that – but he was having a hard time shutting up his heart.

"What are your plans for today?" he asked in between bites of the fluffiest eggs he'd ever eaten. Damn, she was good.

She shrugged as she chewed the mammoth bite she'd just shoveled into her mouth. He wasn't sure if she could get much cuter. God, he had it bad.

"I have some homework I could get started on," she answered noncommittally.

"How about you spend the day with me?" he suggested. Her big brown surprised eyes snapped up to meet his. How could she be surprised that he wanted to be around her, spend time with her, and not just in the bedroom? It only further proved how little she thought of herself. Just as she'd assumed he'd wanted nothing to do with her when she'd seen him with Rebekah at that party. How she believed Rebekah so quickly when she told Elena that he only pitied her and wanted to "save" Jeremy from his psycho sister. After meeting her father, though, it wasn't so hard to see figure out the root of that self-doubt.

"I think I could handle that," she responded with a wide smile.

* * *

Open road, windows down, his baby purring as he accelerated. This had always been one of his favorite ways to spend a day off. Though today was even better. Today, Elena sat next to him in the passenger seat, her tiny denim shorts leaving little to the imagination, her long tanned legs stretched out with her bare feet propped on the dash, her long hair blowing around her face, and her soft voice singing along to the radio.

"Where are we going?" she asked over the wind and music.

"That's for me to know and you to dot-dot-dot..." he replied with a smirk that only grew at her mock-glare. "C'mon, pouty, we're almost there."

They fell back into their comfortable silence as he drove down the increasingly rural roads. Despite Elena's pouting bottom lip, he could feel her curiosity growing with each mile. A few minutes and some bumpy terrain later, he heard Elena gasp from the passenger seat. He knew exactly what she was feeling. The first time he'd stumbled upon this place, he'd been awestruck too. The trees were hundreds of years old with thick green branches reaching out to one another to form a canopy over the road. A dirt path led to an opening in the trees where a river ran through and ballooned out to form a large swimming hole. The sun was shining through in different patches and the surrounding hills gave the whole area the feel of being totally separate from the rest of the world. It was the ultimate escape.

"You like?" he asked, cutting the ignition and turning his attention to Elena. She was gazing out the windshield like a child at Disneyland, and he puffed out his chest a little knowing that he was the one who put that look on her face.

She finally looked over at him, her eyes dancing with excitement. "How did you find this place?"

He glanced out the windshield a moment, taking in the natural beauty of his hidden retreat. "I did a bit of exploring before school started. I like to branch out of chlorine-infested waters every once in a while. You know, get back to my roots."

She smiled a little at that and followed when he pushed himself out of the car. After snagging the basket and blanket he'd stowed in the trunk, he found her at the waters edge, quietly taking in the surrounding area. He couldn't help but admire just how beautiful she was in this setting. Her hair shined in the sunlight and her skin practically glowed, but he knew it was more than just physical.

Good God, he was turning into a chick.

She turned when his footsteps approached and eyed the basket in his hand curiously.

"When did you have the time to pack a picnic basket?"

He winked at her conspiratorially. "While you showered."

"Sneaky little rat bastard," she grumbled, following him to a lush patch of grass where he spread out the large blanket and then proceeded to plop his ass right down on it.

He grinned up at her and she rolled her eyes before dropping onto the blanket next to him.

They ate in comfortable silence, listening to the birds in the trees and the sound of the water trickling up stream. It was peaceful and exactly what he wanted to give her after learning what she had to put up with in her house. Hearing the awful things her father said about her was infuriating, but when he'd noticed that Elena didn't seem surprised, he'd realized that it was nothing new to her. She heard it all the time.

Elena let out a deep sigh before lying back on the blanket. "After last night, this is just what I needed. Thank you, Damon."

He laid down next to her, turning on his side so he could watch her. "Is your father always like that?"

She managed a shrug the best she could in her position. "When he's been drinking."

"Has he been that way all your life?" Damon asked, toying with a lock of her hair.

She glanced over at him before her gaze returned to the cloudless sky. "Believe it or not, he used to be awesome. We would have so much fun together, but then he just stopped. I know now that that's when the cheating started, and then Mom died and everything changed."

"I don't know what's worse, always knowing your dad is an asshole, or getting to enjoy him for a while before he becomes one," he pondered aloud, rolling onto his back and letting the sun warm his skin.

"Good question," she murmured before silence fell between them.

As he laid in the sun, he considered all the things she had revealed to him since they'd first met. He couldn't help but wonder what was it in him that made her feel like she could trust him. After years of living in his brother's shadow and never being good enough in his father's eyes, it wasn't easy for him to comprehend. It was hard for him to get his mind around the fact that she seemed to feel the same ease around him that he felt around her. It didn't seem possible that someone like her could trust him so much. He almost felt unworthy.

Instead of dwelling on that point, he pushed himself to his feet and pulled his shirt over his head.

"How about a swim?"

Elena raised a brow, her eyes traveling down his bare chest then coming up to rest on his face once more. "I wasn't aware I needed to bring a swim suit."

"Who said anything about a swim suit?" he asked with a mischievous smirk, unbuttoning and unzipping his pants and letting them drop to the ground. Her jaw dropped open, and he stood in satisfaction a moment before he took off running, jumping right into the cool water.

Elena was still staring at him in shock when he resurfaced and he couldn't contain his cocky grin. "You scared, Gilbert?"

She seemed to snap back to herself and playfully glared at him as she stood. She gave him her own cheeky smirk while gripping the hem of her shirt and slowly pulling it up off her body. "You're on Salvatore."

The rest of her clothes fell to the ground silently, and he watched in awe as she came running toward him with a big child-like grin on her face. She let out a small scream before hitting the water with a splash, surfacing and giggling a few seconds later. All he could do was stare. He was floored. How could she fucking turn him on just by splashing around in the water, giggling like a schoolgirl? It was beyond anything he'd ever experienced.

He swam toward her, unable to take his eyes off her face and the way she smiled to herself. He wanted to be close to her, needed to be near her. He needed to hold her and revel in the satisfaction that she was here smiling like that with him. Only him.

He was the fucking _man_.

She was in her own little world, not even aware of him until his arms wrapped around her waist and he plastered his chest to her back. She froze for just a moment and then sighed, relaxing into him. She turned in his arms and though the smile was gone, he could still see the joy in her eyes. He'd do anything to keep that happiness there, do anything so she'd never feel sad again.

He studied her, his eyes appreciating every inch of skin that was above water and shimmering in the sun. Following the path his eyes took, his fingertips skimmed across her cheekbones, along her jaw, down the soft curve of her neck and shoulders, tracing her collarbones and down between her breasts. The entire time, her eyes remained locked with his, the expression in them one of lust and wonder. His hands finished their journey, coming to rest on her hips and drawing her closer. Her eyes drifted close and her lips parted on a sigh. He leaned forward and let his lips memorize the same path. He could hear her breaths increase as her hands gripped his biceps and pulled him closer. He tasted the spot where her neck met her shoulder, traced her collarbone with his tongue and nipped her breasts with his teeth.

He pulled back and her eyes fluttered open and connected with his. On the surface they were glazed over with lust, but he could see something deeper in her eyes, something that went beyond mere desire. Something that was dark and warring with the light she had found in this place with him. He could only imagine the demons from her past that were trying to take her down, telling her she was unworthy, when in reality it was he who was unworthy. He would have to prove her demons wrong.

Slowly, Damon leaned forward, his eyes falling shut as he sucked her bottom lip into his mouth. He laved it with his tongue before giving her upper lip the same teasing treatment. She came to life then, her lips in perfect synchronization with his. He pulled her close so her breasts were pressed tightly against his chest, leaving no space between them. Her taste, her scent, her warmth were flooding his senses and all he knew in that moment was Elena. Her fingers in his hair, her skin against his, her mouth opening for him.

One hand slid across her stomach and down to the silky heat between her thighs. He nearly groaned when he found the wetness there that had nothing to do with the water they were still in. When he had her gasping and clinging to him, he lifted her thighs to wrap around his waist and carried her out of the water. He dropped to his knees and laid her gently onto the blanket. Sitting back on his heels, he admired how beautiful she was, and when her arms moved to cover herself, he grabbed her wrists and pinned them down on either side of her head.

"Don't hide from me," he whispered huskily and watched as her chest expanded on a deep breath. Slowly, her body relaxed, though her eyes didn't stray from his.

His body was burning for hers, remembering exactly how well they'd fit together, how they'd responded to each other. He knew the way her body gripped him, the way her breath caught before she came, the way she scraped her nails down his back when it was all too much for her to handle. He craved it - that closeness with her, a place where they had no barriers or past hurts.

"Damon, please," she whimpered, sending even more blood directly south and almost making him light headed.

Reaching over for his discarded pants, he pulled a condom from the back pocket and tore it open, rolling it on, all the while aware of Elena's watchful gaze. His eyes returned to hers and the fire he saw burning there nearly made him groan out loud. So when Elena pushed at his shoulders, rolling him onto his back, he let followed her lead, content to let her take this wherever she wanted.

Her eyes burned a path down his skin, followed by her soft questing fingers, and then, by her lips and tongue, tasting, nipping, and kissing. He could've exploded right then and there and died happy. But he was so glad he hadn't when she finally took his length in her hand, positioned herself and slowly - _so fucking slowly_ - lowered herself onto him. His fingers dug into her hips, needing something to keep him grounded, some proof that this was reality and that she was actually here with him.

Just as he was about to beg, she started to move, her hips rolling as she lifted and lowered herself on him. As much as he wanted to close his eyes and let the pleasure wash him away, he forced them to stay open so that he could watch her. Her fingers dug into his chest, the bite of her fingernails doing nothing to curb his raging libido. She started moving faster and rolling deeper and fuck him if this wasn't even better than before. She threw her head back on a moan and one of his hands slid up her ribs to cup her breast, flicking his thumb over the hardened peak.

She breathed his name when his other hand found her center and applied just enough pressure to drive her wild. She rode him in a frenzy, racing toward her orgasm and hurtling herself head first over the edge while he watched in awe. He groaned as she pulsed around him, reminding him just how close he was to his own climax. He held her hips tight, powering himself up into her once, twice more before he was gone to the world and lost in wave after wave of bliss.

She collapsed on top of him, and he wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling his face into her neck. Rolling them onto their sides, he took care of the condom before pulling her into his arms again.

"I have a whole new respect for swimming holes now," she murmured with a smile in her voice. He couldn't stop the chuckle that followed. He also couldn't disagree. Having her there and naked beside him made things much more interesting.

They spent a while longer soaking in the sun, laughing and snacking on more food. Elena never failed to make him laugh or see things differently or feel things differently.

After they eventually dressed and packed up his Camaro, they drove back toward Mystic Falls with their fingers intertwined. Damon had to rank this as one of his best days ever.

"Can we make a detour?" Elena asked when they were on the outskirts of town.

"Absolutely," he answered immediately, glancing over at her and then back to the road. "Where to?"

"I'd like to see my mom."

XXXXXXX

The Mystic Falls cemetery was right outside of town. It boasted hundred year old trees, rolling green hills and tombstones that dated back to the early 1800's. It was the first time Damon had ever been, never having had a reason to before now.

Standing together at a small stone, her hand gripped his so tightly that it was almost painful, but he wouldn't complain because he knew the pain she had to be feeling was so much worse. He'd give her anything she needed if it meant being the person by her side while she faced her past.

He looked down at the headstone, which was engraved with her mother's name, Isobel Flemming Gilbert, her birthdate and date of death, and a simple inscription, "Loving mother."

"I didn't know what to put on the gravestone," Elena said softly, her eyes obviously lingering on the same thing. "John wasn't there and I had to make a decision," she paused and he stayed silent, letting her collect her thoughts, ready to listen to whatever she needed to say. "I think I laid to rest the woman I wanted my mom to be, rather than the woman she actually was when she died."

He read those two words again with a new understanding, realizing what a fucked up few years Elena must have been through. He squeezed her hand, giving his quiet support and letting her know he was there, he was listening and that he wasn't judging.

"Sometimes it's hard to decide if I'm mad at her for what she did," Elena continued, holding his hand tighter. "I mean, how selfish could she be? She had kids who loved her and needed her, who would've supported her if she'd decided to leave my dad. I even told her as much." Her voice broke and Damon glanced over. He was surprised to see a tear falling down her cheek. He'd never seen Elena cry.

She took a shaky breath and shook her head. "Other times I can't stop thinking about how much pain she must have been in. The doctors told me she was having mental health issues. They said someone who deals with that stuff can feel trapped in their own body, totally disconnected from the world, and they feel like they have no way out. I think that's the hardest part for me. I hate to think she was so tormented, that she was so miserable, that taking her life was the only escape."

She sniffed and he saw a few more tears fall to the ground. He hated that he couldn't say or something to help unburden her a little.

They stood in silence for a long while, both lost in their own thoughts, both holding onto the other's hand like a lifeline.

Finally, Elena's whisper broke through the silence. "I hate my dad for what he did to her. For being the straw that broke the camel's back."

She took a shuddering breath, choking back a sob, and the sound shattered him. Damon hated this, hated that this was what she had to live with. Not only did she have a broken family, but also an entire town of people had turned their backs on her when she needed them most.

"I hate him so much," she breathed brokenly, and he couldn't take it anymore. Damon tugged her hand and she turned into him willingly, burying her face in his chest. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders while his were tight around her waist, his fingers splayed across her back. He pressed his face into her hair, standing still and quiet while she let out her pain.

As her sobs died down to sniffling whimpers, he ran his hands up and down her spine and through her hair, hoping there was some way he could soothe her. When she eventually pulled away, he saw that steely determination back in her eyes. She'd needed to get that out so she could go on living, go on being strong. He was in complete awe of her.

"I'm sorry about your shirt," she said, swiping at the stray tears on her cheeks and sniffing a little.

He looked down at the wet spot she'd gestured to and shrugged. "It's only a shirt."

He let her pull herself together, keeping himself firmly rooted a few feet away from her even though the only place he wanted to be was wrapped around her. But he knew that wasn't what she needed right now. She took a deep breath, looking more like herself than she had minutes ago.

"You ready to go?" he asked. She gazed up at him for a moment before nodding and taking his outstretched hand.

Things were comfortably quiet between them on the drive back. It wasn't until they were almost to Elena's house that she spoke up again.

"Thank you."

"For what?" he asked, glancing over at her and taking note of the serious set of her eyes.

"For being there, for not asking questions, for just holding me," she said, shrugging like it was no big deal, but the reverence in her voice gave her away.

He brought the car to a stop at the curb in front of her house before turning to face her fully. Leaning forward, he hooking a hand around the back of her neck and pulled her to meet his lips. The kiss was brief; the contact was all he needed. He rested his forehead against hers and whispered, "You're welcome."

Her smiled when he pulled away made him feel like he'd won the lottery.

She held his hand as he walked her to the door. They were both reluctant to let go. Damon didn't want her in that house knowing the things she had to deal with inside.

She kissed him goodnight once more before diappearing into the dark house. He walked back to his car slowly, reflecting on the day they had shared. It was hard to see the girl that he'd met on the first day of classes, the one who was so closed off, sarcastic and almost cold. But then again, he'd never really seen the girl everyone else saw.

All he knew was one thing. He was falling for the girl he had come to know. Falling hard.

* * *

**Cue the aw's! **

**I loved this chapter so much and I hope you guys did too.**

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	10. Chapter 10

**Hello again! **

**Again, a huge thank you goes to my beta, Layla Reyne. Without her, these chapters would probably never be done. She's awesome. **

**So... here you go!**

* * *

_Life was good._

Elena honestly couldn't believe such a thought had crossed her mind, but it was true.

With John away working on a murder case a few towns over, she and Jeremy had finally felt like they could breathe in their own home. And she and Damon had spent the better part of the last two weeks attached at the hip. Besides Jeremy, she'd never known anyone as well as she knew Damon. He was funny and smart, but also sarcastic and a hard ass who didn't give a shit what anyone else thought. Being around him helped her relax, so much so that she barely missed her pills, which was a good thing since she was down to her last one. It was a strange feeling – this contentment – and she feared it would disappear all too soon, but that didn't stop her from holding onto it with all she had.

Elena had noticed the stares were diminishing too - either that or she'd just stopped caring. People seemed like they were getting used to the idea of her and Damon together and that maybe she wasn't as crazy as they'd thought. She could only hope that's how they felt. Even Bonnie Bennett, a cute, dark skinned freshman, had said hello to her the other day. Elena knew her because Jeremy had had a crush on her when she was a senior at his high school last year.

Yeah, life wasn't too bad.

Her mind warned her that tying all of her self worth and confidence to a guy was dangerous, but her heart wouldn't let her change a thing. She felt good, actually liked herself for once. She felt like she meant something for once. She felt normal for once. No, there was no way in hell she was giving that up. Or giving Damon up.

The hallways were quiet as she power-walked toward the dining hall. She was late meeting up with Damon after getting caught up going over corrections with her professor. She hated battling the waiting eyes in the cafeteria without Damon.

She avoided looking at Professor Shane's door as she rushed by, but when she heard her name called out behind her, she knew she wouldn't be so lucky to avoid him. She cringed and turned slowly, finding him in the doorway of his now-open office.

"Can I speak with you?" he asked in his best professor voice.

She glanced down the hall and back to him before replying, "I need to get to lunch."

"It will only take a moment," he assured her, but she felt anything but assured. She inhaled a deep breath, steeling herself before following him into the office, taking care to not shut the door all the way.

"I haven't heard from you in a while," he said, leaning against his desk and staring down at his feet.

"I've been busy," she answered vaguely.

"With that guy?" He looked up at her now, his eyes burning with jealousy. "He's only going to hurt you."

"It's really none of your business," she snapped, taking a step back and crossing her arms over her chest protectively.

"Elena, I'm sorry," he sighed, running a hand through his hair. Elena briefly noted that he didn't look nearly as adorable as Damon did when he did that. "That was out of line. I'm just worried about you, especially after the other night."

She cringed a second time, hating that he would bring that up. She just wanted to forget that night, to forget that she ever went to him. That she'd made him feel like he had something more with her. "I'm fine. It's fine. Leave it alone."

She turned to the door, ready to run, ready to be in Damon's arms and at his side. Ready to let his presence calm her.

"Elena," Atticus said, grabbing her arm to prevent her from grabbing the doorknob. She jerked her arm from his grip and turned back to angrily glare at him.

"Stop!" she hissed. "Just leave it alone! Leave me alone. I don't need you."

She was just about to make her escape, her acidic tone catching him off guard, but then he regained his voice.

"Don't kid yourself. You don't think you need me now, but you'll be back. Only I can give you what you need."

Her stomach dropped, but she decided not to respond, instead turning and darting out of his office. Once in the hall, she finally felt like she could breathe again. Just a couple months ago she couldn't breathe anywhere but in his presence, because, at the time, he really was the only person who could give her what she needed. But things had changed. Those things didn't matter to her anymore. She didn't want them, didn't need them any longer. She just wanted Damon and the few people in her life that made her feel free and happy.

Hauling ass to the dining hall, she nearly mowed down Damon, who was waiting for her in the entryway.

"Whoa, hey, where have you been?" he asked with a chuckle as he caught her in his arms and fell backward a few steps.

"Sorry, I had to talk with my professor," she said, breathing him in and relaxing.

"Hey," he said softly, tilting her chin up with his fingers. "Is everything okay? You seem stressed."

She took a deep breath, reeling a little from how well he could read her, but then she looked up at him with a smile. A real smile thanks to him. "I'm okay now."

His grin grew wide right before he took her lips with his. She sighed into his mouth, enjoying the way he made her feel with a mere kiss. God, he was good.

"What do you say we find out what Steffie has packed in his brown sack lunch today?" he teased, easily breaking the tension she'd been feeling since leaving Atticus's office.

She smiled as he led her by the hand through the food line and to their usual table where Stefan had already laid out his food.

"Hi, Stefan," Elena said with a smile, sliding into her seat.

"Hey guys, come to mock my lunch choices?" Stefan said, trying to maintain a serious face and failing miserably.

They all laughed while Elena and Damon separated their food out and dug in.

"Hey, Damon, did Dad say when Ka- oof!" There was a bang under the table and both she and Stefan jumped.

Elena looked up to find Damon glaring at Stefan, clearly trying to communicate something with his eyes. She glanced between the two of them, wondering what was going on.

Stefan cleared his throat awkwardly. "So, Elena, when is the next time you'll be spending the night? I've been missing your breakfasts."

Her cheeks flamed. Of course he knew what went on between her and Damon in the bedroom, but hearing it out loud was embarrassing. She giggled a little before glancing over at Damon who was scowling down at his food, his shoulders tense. She nudged him gently and kissed his cheek. His demeanor didn't change even as he lifted his head and those blue eyes connected with her brown ones.

"Everything alright?" she asked softly.

He smiled, a smile that didn't touch his eyes. "Yeah, everything's good."

She loved when he said things like that as he gazed at her, but this was the first time she didn't believe him.

* * *

While most people would let out a sigh of relief when they arrived home, Elena's anxiety only increased. She kept telling herself that she only had an hour to kill before she could head to Damon's place. He'd told her he had swim practice tonight, but something had felt off with him. Something she couldn't put a finger on, but she wouldn't allow herself to dwell on it or she'd drive herself mad.

She set her bag down gently, knowing John was home and not wanting to draw his attention. Jeremy was out at practice so she was on her own. She sped toward the kitchen, hoping to grab a snack and disappear into her bedroom until she could escape to Damon's. Of course, luck was not on her side.

"Elena," she heard John call from inside his office. She sighed heavily as her heart dropped to her stomach. "I need to speak to you."

She turned and entered his office. It was a space she rarely frequented, never being allowed inside as a child and hating it as a teenager and an adult. John was sitting behind the desk like a tyrannous king on his throne. He gestured for her to sit in one of the armchairs across from the desk and she complied, fidgeting uncomfortably while he took his sweet time to address her.

He laid his intertwined fingers on the table and finally looked her in the eyes. "It has come to my attention that you have been spending all your days and nights with the Salvatore heir."

Seriously? He was spying on her. Elena rolled her eyes, smothering a smirk at the enraged look on his face.

"It's a small town, Elena," he snapped. "People have eyes and they talk. You need to grow up and stop acting like a slut."

She flinched as if he'd slapped her. She was used to his verbal blows, but he'd never spoken so harshly before, choosing to instead bring her down with rude comments and insinuations. "I'm not acting like a-"

"Okay, not acting. Stop being a little gold-digging slut," he sneered, slamming his palms on the dark mahogany desktop and rising out of his seat.

"Are you serious right now?" she fired back, gripping the sides of the armchair and pushing herself to her feet as John came around the desk with hate in his eyes. "The only reason I stay with Damon is because you insist on making my life hell!"

Elena had no time to brace for the back of John's hand across her cheek, snapping her head to the side. Shit, it stung.

"You need to mind your manners," he growled, sending shivers down her spine. Shivers she tried to repress and cover it with anger instead.

"If you need me, I'll be busy slutting it up at Damon's," she spat, turning on her heel to storm out. But John's firm grip on her arm stopped her dead in her tracks, and when he slammed her face first into the nearest wall, she couldn't hold in her cry of pain.

"No daughter of mine will conduct herself like a tramp," he spoke low and menacingly into her ear. "You need to get it together or things will get a hell of a lot worse around here. Got it?"

Her blood ran cold and hatred boiled up in her as she fought back tears of anger.

"You won't get away with this forever," she hissed with her cheek pressed against the wall, straining her eyes to the side so she could see him. So he could see how much she hated him.

He laughed a cruel, sickening, humorless laugh. "And who are you going to tell, huh? That pretty little trust fund boyfriend of yours? He'll be gone the second he realizes what a worthless piece of trash you are." His breath was warm and sticky on her skin, making her nauseous.

"You think anyone will believe you?" he growled. "You tried that once, remember?"

The tears she'd been fighting welled up in her eyes. He knew just where to strike to hurt her most. Reminding her of her failed attempt at a cry for help was like a sucker punch straight to her gut.

Unable to handle another moment in his presence, she wrestled out of his grip, grabbing her bag and running out the door without a single look back.

She ran and ran until the crisp air brought her back to reality and she realized she was halfway to Damon's already. Slowly, as her heart rate started to calm and her mind started to clear, she began to realize the full extent of the hell she was living in. Her father had a talent for keenly sensing when life was treating her well and dragging her kicking and screaming back to reality. She hated him. It was plain and simple. She would never know true happiness until he was well and truly out of her and Jeremy's life for good.

Before she realized it, she was outside Damon's apartment complex. She debated whether to hang around outside and wait for Damon to get home or see if Stefan was home to let her in so she could wait inside. Cursing herself for not grabbing a sweater on her way out, the cold breeze that whipped through the parking lot made her decision for her.

She trekked up to the second floor and down the hall to Damon's door. Noticing the lights were on in the window, she knocked and waited for Stefan to answer. She crossed her arms over her chest, protecting herself from the cold that was now seeping into her skin. Her head shot up and her stomach fell to the floor when the door swung open to reveal the most beautiful woman she'd ever seen, standing there in only a towel.

She was tall and had legs for miles, tanned skin, big hazel eyes and long, thick, curly brunette hair. She was like a Greek Goddess. Who the hell was she?

"Can I help you?" the woman asked, and damn, even her voice sounded like angels singing.

"I, uh, is Stefan here?" she replied, still stunned into semi-coherence by this person she'd never seen here before.

"No, but Damon is. He's just finishing up in the shower," she told her with a sated smile and lazy eyes. Elena's heart stopped. There was no way she'd heard that correctly.

"I'm sorry, but who are you?" Elena asked, trying to reign in her scattered and increasingly panicked thoughts. Why was this woman in only a towel, and how the hell did she know Damon was finishing his shower, and wasn't he supposed to be at swim practice?

"I'm Katherine," she said with a sickeningly sweet voice. "Damon's fiancée."

Oh God.

No. This was all a bad dream. It had to be. But the pain in her arm and the bruises that were surely forming there told her otherwise. Her heart started pounding and her hands started sweating. Damon was engaged? Did that make Elena the other woman? How could he have lied to her all this time?

_Oh God._

Her chest was starting to constrict and her lungs were starting to spasm.

She started to back away, barely noticing Katherine's confused look. Just as she turned to run, she collided with Stefan's chest.

"Whoa there," he said, steadying her. She knew the exact moment when he realized what was happening. She felt his hands tense on her shoulders and noticed the way tension filled his frame.

"Elena-"

"Damon's engaged?" she asked, interrupting him. Her eyes met his with a plea for it not to be true and a dare for him to try and lie to her.

"No," he said firmly, glaring over her shoulder at Katherine, who was still standing in the doorway in her barely-there towel.

"Then who is she?!" Elena screamed, wrenching herself away from Stefan and pointing furiously in Katherine's direction.

"Elena," he pleaded, taking a step toward her with outstretched hands, as if he was approaching a rabid dog.

"Don't you dare lie to me, Stefan," Elena hissed.

"Kat, who the hell..." She heard Damon's voice just as he appeared in the doorway, dripping wet with a towel slung low around his hips. He froze as his eyes surveyed the scene in front of him and she saw the color drain from his face.

"Elena," he said cautiously. "This isn't what you think."

Did he really think she was that stupid? He may have played her for the last month or so, but like hell if she was going to be played any longer. "Go to hell, Damon."

She turned and pushed past Stefan, who was still glaring at Damon and Katherine. Racing down the hall as fast as her feet would carry her, she could feel the bands wrapping around her chest, making it nearly impossible to breathe. Her feet pounded down the stairs as her hand dug into her bag, searching for her salvation. She knew she had it in there somewhere, and she was getting desperate.

Her fingers finally closed around the small bottle just as she reached the bottom of the staircase. She frantically opened the bottle with trembling fingers, dumping the last pill into her palm and swallowing it on the spot. She closed her eyes, praying the relief would come sooner rather than later, but then Damon's hand wrapped around her arm, causing her to wince and spinning her to face him. His eyes were wide with alarm, and she noted briefly that he'd put on a pair of shorts before running after her.

"What the hell did you just take?" he asked, his shaky voice rising in panic.

She ripped her arm away from Damon's grasp, not wanting to be touched by the hands that had betrayed her.

"It's none of your damn business," she said, backing a few steps away from him. It was breaking her heart to be near him. "Your fiancée is waiting for you."

She turned on her heel and ran, futilely trying to tune out the sound of her name being shouted desperately from his lips. Tears were streaming down her face when she finally stopped to catch her breath. She felt like she was going to puke, sob, and faint all at the same time.

Her whole world felt like it was crashing down around her and she had nowhere to go. She was alone. Completely, utterly alone.

The pain was nearly unbearable and all she could hear was that small voice in her head telling her to hurt him as much as he'd hurt her.

* * *

**I knew a lot of you saw that coming, I couldn't resist! Hopefully what happens from here on out will not be as predictable. **

**PS, I'm working on a short side fic that I'm close to finishing. Hint: Rocker Damon. So keep your eyes peeled for that to be posted within the next month or so. I'm going to finish it completely before posting. **

**Follow me on Twitter for updates and other randomness: rachellebelle08**

**Reviews are love. SERIOUSLY YOU ARE ALL THE BEST. I CANT EVEN.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello again! Thank you all so much for being patient with me. You are seriously the best and if I could reach through my computer and hug you all individually, I would. **

**Enjoy...**

* * *

Damon watched Elena walk away with his heart in his throat. How had his life spiraled so completely out of control in less than ten minutes? He'd been riding high, excited and proud that his relay team had made it to nationals and he'd been so eager to share the news with Elena. And then Katherine had shot it all to hell.

He moved to chase after her, but a hand on his arm stopped him. He turned to shake Stefan's grip off, but his brother only held on tighter.

"What the hell, Stefan?" he growled. "Let me go!"

"No," Stefan replied sternly. "You're only going to make it worse."

"She took something, Stefan! A…a pill or something, I can't just let her walk away." Damon's voice was full of desperation, but he couldn't find it in him to care.

Stefan's eyes narrowed and his grip loosened just a bit. "I'll take care of her. I'll make sure she's safe, okay?"

Damon knew his brother was right. Elena would only shut down more if he chased after her right now. She needed space, but he also needed to know she was safe. He nodded his agreement at Stefan, but caught his arm before he walked off.

"What ever you do, don't take her home," Damon said. Stefan looked confused, but didn't ask any questions.

Watching Stefan pull his keys from his pocket and jog off to his car, Damon fought the need to go with him. His heart was crying out for her, his arms yearning to hold her. He hated himself for hurting her, for lying to her, for not being the man Elena deserved.

His steps up the stairs were slow and heavy. The higher he climbed, the more his anger replaced his pain.

When he re-entered the apartment, Katherine was sitting on the couch - dressed, thankfully - legs crossed and picking at her nails without a care in the world. He felt his blood heat.

"So you're into pill poppers now?" she asked without even looking up.

"Shut up, Katherine," he snapped, curling his fingers into fists to keep from hitting the nearest wall.

She finally looked up at him then, tossing her long hair over one shoulder. He couldn't help but compare her's to Elena's. Where Katherine's hair was perfectly styled reeked of hairspray, Elena's was free and soft and smelled like her.

"Is that why you dumped me and moved out here? So you could act on some secret fetish you have with freaks?" His rage boiled over.

Damon's rage boiled over. "That's enough, Katherine!" he roared, slamming his fist into the wall and making her jump in surprise. "You are not my fiancée. You are not my girlfriend. You are not even my friend! I'm letting you stay here as a favor. A favor I'm deeply regretting right about now."

"Damon, it's not that big of a deal, geez," she said with an eye roll, feigning nonchalance.

"No. It is a big deal. It's a big fucking deal, Katherine!" he yelled, running his hands through his hair as he paced in front of her. "That girl who just stormed out of here," he started, gesturing to the front door. "I hurt her, maybe beyond repair. She's amazing and kind and funny, and I'm very sure that I'm in love with her. She doesn't deserve to be manipulated by you, okay? You leave her alone, Katherine, or so help me God, I will make your life miserable."

Damon noted the flash of fear in her eyes before she covered it up with an indifferent shrug. Before she could retort, Stefan walked through the door, keys in hand.

"Did you find her? Is she staying somewhere safe?" Damon asked in a rush.

"She refused to let me take her anywhere," Stefan explained. "But I followed her. I think she's staying wherever Jeremy is tonight."

Damon nodded. "Thank you, Stefan."

"Just know," Stefan said seriously. "If she ever gives you a chance to explain, your apology better be epic."

* * *

How the hell had he let Katherine convince him to come out tonight? Probably because she'd given him the most genuine apology of her entire fucking life. He must have been so shocked that he hadn't even realized he was agreeing to hit the bar for "some fun" before catching the last flight of the night back to Tennessee. So Stefan, Katherine, and him had piled into his Camero and headed straight to the Mystic Grill. A stiff drink had sounded pretty good after his shitty week.

Seeing Elena at school after their blow-up had been a lesson in cruel and unusual punishment. She'd said one, single, cold word to him when he'd attempted to beg for her forgiveness. With that one word – her harsh 'no' when he asked to talk to her - she'd spoken to him and looked at him like she looked at everyone else there. And that hurt more than anything. He was the one person she'd trusted, that she'd shown her true self too, and he'd destroyed it.

He made a beeline for the bar as soon as he walked in. Without acknowledging a single person, he ordered himself a glass of bourbon. It was one of those nights. The Grill was packed and he looked over his shoulder to see Katherine dragging Stefan through the crowd of people to a dartboard.

"Damon, you look wrecked." He turned to find Alaric sitting a few barstools down, nursing a glass of the very same bourbon. He always knew he liked Alaric.

"You have no idea how wrecked I want to be right now," Damon muttered, taking a sip and letting the familiar burn soothe him.

"Still haven't patched things up with Elena?" Alaric asked, in the know because Damon had finally cracked after four days of slamming drawers and grunting out one-word answers.

He sighed and took another swig. "No, she won't even look at me."

"I hate to interrupt," an unfamiliar voice came from behind them. "But are you Elena's Damon?"

Damon turned to find a middle-aged woman with short blonde hair standing behind him. She looked oddly familiar to him, but he didn't think he'd ever met her before. "Yeah?"

"Ric, do you mind if I talk with Damon a moment?" she asked.

Ric saluted her with his glass tumbler. "Sure thing, boss."

She turned to Damon, holding out her hand to him. "Liz Forbes," she introduced herself, shaking his hand. "I'm an attorney. Can we speak somewhere a little more private?"

Forbes? As in Caroline Forbes? _Holy shit_.

With glass in hand, Damon followed Liz to a secluded booth away from the Friday night crowd.

"So," he started, having no clue why this woman would want to speak to him. "What is this about?"

Liz breathed a sigh before placing her intertwined fingers on the table, her serious face staring down at them. "Has Elena ever told you about her mother?"

Having no idea where this conversation would go, he answered reluctantly. "Not much, though we visited her graveside last week."

Liz seemed to contemplate that a moment before looking back up at him. "Izzy was my best friend. She was feisty, spirited, whip smart and incredibly loving." She gave him a raised eyebrow. "Sound familiar?"

Yeah, it sounded familiar. It described Elena perfectly. Unable to help himself, he smiled a bit at the shared qualities between mother and daughter.

"Well, that was until John," Liz continued, and Damon could hear the chill in her voice at the mention of Elena's father. "They were happy initially, and I was happy for my best friend, but then things started to change. My best friend was no longer the happy and loving woman she once was. I could see it in her eyes, I could see it in her kids' eyes."

He flinched at the implications.

"I can see it on your face. You can guess what he did to Isobel. What he does to Elena…" Liz said, her voice dropping low as it trailed off.

_Oh God_. He didn't want to be right about that. He never wanted to be right about what kind of hell Elena was living in. "I have some ideas," he growled.

Liz nodded, confirming his suspicions with sad eyes. "Elena tried to press charges once before. I was the one who picked her up from the hospital that day. I saw plain as day what he did to her."

Damon's fists clenched painfully from even the idea that Elena had been hurt so badly that she'd needed to be hospitalized. It nearly made him sick. He took a healthy swig of his bourbon, hoping it would calm him enough to hear Liz out.

"Why didn't you help her?!" He tried not to sound like he was accusing her, but failed miserably. He was barely keeping his rage in check.

Liz's eyes grew wide and she glanced around, making sure nobody had heard him. "I tried," she bit out through gritted teeth. "But John's the chief of police. He weaseled his way out of it, and Elena was too scared to mention it again. You've heard the rumors about Elena after it was all over. She shut down, acted out. We tried to convince her to help us build a case against him, but she wouldn't trust anyone, not after she'd been burned once already."

"We?"

She nodded. "Jeremy and me. It's actually why I'm here talking to you now."

Understanding dawned on him and he sat back in the booth. "Jeremy thinks I can get through to her."

"He's worried," she explained. "It's the end of the football season and he's got tournaments. He's home less and less, and he doesn't want her alone in that house with John."

"Elena and I aren't exactly on the best of terms right now," he admitted, dropping his eyes and hating how that statement tasted on his tongue.

"Look, Damon," Liz said seriously, her voice soft now and full of compassion for the girl he loved. "Despite what may be going on between you two, from what Jeremy tells me, you're the first person she's let in since Izzy died. I know you care about her, I can see in your eyes that you might even be in love with her. We need your help, Damon. She needs your help. I swore to Izzy that I'd take care of them, but my hands are tied without Elena's testimony. More than that, I want to keep her alive. I refuse to let what happened to Izzy happen to Elena, too."

Her words settled like a rock in the pit of his stomach. The thought of Elena ending up like her mother was devastating. So much so that his brain nearly shut down at the mere idea of it.

"There you are," Katherine interrupted, glancing between him and Liz curiously. "Are you ready to go?"

Shit, he had to take Katherine to the airport, but he needed to get to Elena and make sure she was safe. Elena was his number one priority. He dug into his pocket and found his keys, tossing them to Stefan as he joined them.

"You guys go, I need some air," Damon said, gesturing with his head to the empty glass tumbler. "Have a safe flight, Kat."

He got up to move past them, but her hand on his arm stopped him. He controlled the urge to rip his arm away.

"I really am sorry about what happened, Damon," she said softly, her voice and eyes full of sincerity. "You didn't deserve that, and I shouldn't have judged her."

Damon nodded and attempted a smile, but he knew it looked as forced as it felt. He pushed past them, his sole goal to get to Elena, to protect her and make sure she was safe.

Outside, the cool air helped him breathe. He needed to be levelheaded when he spoke to Elena. He needed her to listen.

He cut through the alley on the side of the Grill, knowing he would get to her house faster that way.

"Salvatore!"

Stopping in his tracks, he turned to see Tyler and a few other guys from the team approaching. Damon had a bad feeling about this. Something about the way they were walking with their chests puffed out made him uneasy.

"What's up guys?" he asked, attempting to sound nonchalant.

Tyler scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Not your dedication to this team."

Damon resisted the eye roll he so desperately wanted to give Tyler. "It's just been a bad week."

"You're letting that piece of trash get to you and ruin our chances at Nationals," Tyler spat, his words filled with venom and hate that set Damon's blood on fire.

"She's not trash," he bit back, his ears roaring and his control slipping.

"She is!" he laughed sardonically. "Not even her own father loves her. God, she even tried to report him to the police, claiming he was abusing her, and when nobody believed her, she turned into a little slut. She's an attention whore and not worth anyone's time of day."

Damon had him by the shirt and against the brick wall in a matter of seconds. "Watch your fucking mouth, Lockwood," he roared.

"Or what, Damon?" Tyler asked, his eyes mocking Damon's pain. "Is that mentally unstable piece of ass really worth risking Nationals?"

He didn't think, only reacted. The crack of his fist hitting Tyler right in the jaw was not nearly as satisfying as he wanted it to be. And it'd hurt like hell. Damon turned right as Tyler's fist hit him in the kidney, and he hissed and ducked just as another fist came flying at him. _Shit_. It was five to one. He was royally screwed.

His teammates descended, holding him immobile while Tyler rained blows to Damon's face. Only his face, though, as they all knew the team couldn't afford to have Damon sitting out their next swim meet. It was over almost as fast as it began, Tyler's message received loud and clear. His teammates pushed him to the ground before stalking away.

Pushing through the pain in his face, Damon got to his feet and started walking, still headed to Elena's. Her safety was more important than some superficial wounds, even if they hurt like hell and wouldn't stop bleeding. But that didn't matter. His need to get to Elena trumped everything else. After Liz had confirmed his suspicions, he couldn't think of anything but getting Elena out of that house.

He trudged through the alleyway and out onto the street. He regretted letting Stefan and Katherine take his car, but there was no way in hell he was going to call them back. He kept his head down, lumbering along and hoping he wouldn't draw any unwanted attention.

"Damon?"

Her voice was like a balm to his beaten body. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed that voice. Turning slowly, he found Elena's car pulled over on the side of the road behind him, and she was slowly approaching him on the sidewalk. God, she was beautiful. He had to fight the urge to pull her body against his and wrap himself around her.

"Oh my God! What happened?" He almost smiled like a total asshole at the concern in her voice. So different from the indifferent girl he'd seen all week.

"Tyler happened," he said simply. If this was what it took to get her attention, then so be it. He knew his injuries weren't life threatening and that they looked a lot worse than they felt, but he kept those facts to himself. If Elena knew he wasn't hurting as much as it looked like he was, she might get back into her car and never speak to him.

"He did this to you?" she gasped as she stepped closer, her fingers cautiously touching the bruise he knew was already forming on his cheek. "Why?" she whispered.

"Let's just say I haven't been very motivated in practice this week," he answered, looking her right in the eye as he spoke. She needed to know. She needed to understand what she meant to him. What not being with her was doing to him.

She dropped her gaze and took a deep breath before returning it again. "Come on, get in the car. You need to get those cuts taken care of."

He nodded, but inside he was vibrating with nervous energy. Would this be his one and only chance to get her back? He slid into the passenger seat and stayed silent during the short drive to her house.

"Your dad isn't home?" he asked cautiously, as they pulled into the driveway.

"No, he's away for the weekend," she said, and he could hear the relief in her voice. He thought back to Liz's words in the bar. Could he trust that she wasn't just another person who was out to make Elena's life miserable? Could he believe that she really wanted to help, that she really believed Elena's claims?

Damon followed Elena into the dark house, up the stairs and with a deep breath, into her bedroom. She led him to the bathroom, gesturing for him to take a seat on the closed toilet. She worked quietly and efficiently, staying just out of reach. She cleaned each cut and iced each forming bruise. The longer she worked, the more she seemed to forget that wall she'd put up between them. She would sway closer, her fingers lingering longer on his skin. It was sweet, sweet torture.

She was just pulling the ice off his cheek when he couldn't stand the distance any longer.

"Elena," he whispered hoarsely, reaching up slowly to cup her face in his hand. Her eyes fluttered shut as she leaned into his hand and let out a sigh of relief, as if she'd been carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders until he came along to relieve her of her burden. "I'm so sorry."

He felt the exact moment when the tension flooded her body again, and he assumed that she'd remembered why she was so angry with him. He felt the loss down to his bones when she pulled away from his touch. His fingers ached to grab her by her hips and pull her back into him. To hold onto her so tight that she'd never escape, but she stayed just out of reach, erecting that brick wall between them once again.

He knew she would keep retreating if he let her. He needed to change his approach.

"You should be good," she said, not looking up as she worked to clean the bathroom counter.

He rose slowly, keeping his eyes trained on her reflection in the mirror, as he took slow measured steps toward her. He noticed Elena go stiff the moment she felt his presence looming behind her and the way her fingers curled into the edge of the counter as if to anchor her.

"Please don't," she pleaded softly, hanging her head.

The desperation in her voice almost made him back off, almost made him walk away, but he couldn't. He couldn't be without her.

Carefully, he placed his hands on her hips and turned her around to face him. She moved reluctantly, keeping her eyes closed and her head down.

"Elena," he whispered, his voice breaking. Gently, he tilted her head up, forcing her to look him in the eyes. To see just how sorry he was. "I lied to you."

She said nothing, only stared up at him with those big brown eyes.

"I should've told you about Katherine," he continued. "But I don't want to _be_ with Katherine. I haven't been for a very long time now. I want you more than I ever wanted her. You make me laugh and you challenge me, and I've been miserable without you. _You_ make me happy, Elena. Only you."

Elena's eyes turned glassy halfway through his speech, and it slayed him to know that he'd hurt her so badly. That he could have prevented all of this so easily if he'd just been honest with her from the start. She was strong enough to handle his past; he was the weak one.

"Please don't make me be without you," he begged, cupping his hand around the back of her neck and leaning in slowly until his forehead touched hers. He closed his eyes and waited. It was her choice and he'd never take that from her, no matter how much her rejection would hurt.

He lost track of time as they stood there like that, but when her fingers eventually slid around his waist, his eyes flashed open. Was this her way of saying she forgave him?

"Elena?" He couldn't stop the hope from seeping into his voice.

"Don't ever do that again," she breathed, pulling him flush against her.

He wanted to smile, but it could wait until after he kissed her. He had to know it was real. She returned his kiss, pressing herself into him and fisting her fingers into his shirt. He couldn't get enough of her soft lips, or the little sounds she made or how she sucked his tongue into her mouth greedily. She knew just what to do to drive him crazy.

Wrapping his fingers around her hips, he lifted her onto the counter and moved between her spread legs, pressing himself into her center. The moan that ripped its way out of her throat nearly drove him wild with lust. God, he missed touching her. He missed how her skin tasted, and how she felt under his hands, under his body. Her hands pushed up his shirt, and he pulled away just enough to allow her to tug it over his head and for him to return the favor. He barely had time to take her in before she was already pulling his lips back to hers. With deft fingers, he unclasped her bra and slipped it down her arms, dropping it unceremoniously onto the floor.

With both hands, he cupped her breasts, flicking her nipples with his thumbs and causing her to throw her head back with a strangled cry. His lips trailed down her neck, sucking on the sweet spot at the base before continuing downward. His mouth alternated between breasts, sucking them into his mouth and gently scraping his teeth across her nipples. Her fingers threaded in his hair, urging him on with every tug. Pulling away, he unbuttoned her jeans and she lifted her hips to help him tug them off, along with her panties.

He kissed her once more before his mouth moved lower and he dropped onto his knees. He took a moment just to look at her spread out for him, reveling in the trust she still had in him, even after he'd almost shattered it beyond repair. His eyes locked with hers as he slowly kissed his way toward her center. Her eyes were smoldering with heat and with something much deeper. Her fingers tightened in his hair when he reached his destination and with one taste, he was a goner. He lost himself in the way she tasted, taking his cues from the sounds she made and the way she pulled at his hair.

He didn't tease her, only worshipped her with his mouth and hands until she exploded. He watched her face while she rode the pleasure out, loving the way she let herself go for him. When her eyes finally opened again, she gazed at him with such tenderness it nearly knocked him over. He rose to his feet, wondering if his eyes shined like hers. He felt like they did. He kissed her slowly, savoring her every move and breath, loving the way her tongue reached out to taste herself on his lips. They continued to kiss slowly, and he enjoyed every second of it. Having her in his arms again, after a week without her, felt like a miracle. A miracle that she forgave him, a miracle that she still trusted him, a miracle that she still wanted him.

He wrapped Elena in his arms and lifted her off of the counter. She clung to him as he carried her into her bedroom and gently laid her on the bed. She leaned up on her elbows, looking more like a goddess than a human, and watched him as he discarded his pants and quickly rolled on a condom.

She grabbed for him the second he was within arms reach. He fell onto the bed and right into the cradle of her thighs, hissing when her heat practically scalded him. With one quick kiss to her lips, he positioned himself and sank into her, causing them both to sigh with relief. She felt like heaven and the way she wrapped herself around him made him pause, needing to take a moment to just look at her. To thank his lucky stars that she'd let him back into heaven again at all. He smoothed the hair off her forehead and gave her a tender kiss before he started to move. Elena held on, crying out when he hit the spot that he knew she loved. She kissed and nipped and tasted every inch of his skin that she could reach, making it even harder for him to hold onto his control. She was as much a participant in their lovemaking as he was, and he loved that she was his equal in every way.

As their pace quickened, he found it harder and harder to hold back the words of love that were on the tip of his tongue. He knew she wasn't ready for that, but everything in him wanted to run and shout it from a mountaintop. He wanted her to feel loved and cherished and beautiful, like she deserved to.

Elena cried out his name when she finally fell over the edge and the desperate, strangled sound tipped him over as well. He buried his face in her neck, biting the skin lightly as the waves of ecstasy crashed over him. The way her inner walls gripped him only prolonged his orgasm and once it finally subsided, he collapsed on top of her in a sated mass.

Her fingers coasted up and down his slick back as he came back to earth. He loved the way he was still buried deep inside her and the way she cocooned him with her body. There really was no place he'd rather be than wrapped up in her like this.

He kissed her softly on the lips before rolling off of her, cleaning himself up and then cuddling back up to her. She lay facing him, her hands stroking his chest and shoulders while he just gazed at her. He gently pushed a strand of hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. When she looked up at him through her thick lashes, he knew he couldn't stay quiet any longer.

"Elena," he whispered, trailing his fingers over the softness of her cheek. She studied him questioningly, but waited for him to continue. He took a deep breath as he built up his courage. It was now or never.

"You're going to pack a bag and come stay with me."

* * *

**So I already have chapter 12 written and maybe, just MAYBE I'll post it next weekend instead of making you wait. Just send my musie lots of love and inspiration as I work on chapter 13. We're getting into the final stretch here and I'm excited for what's to come. *evil laughter* **

**I need to give a HUGE thank you to Layla Reyne. She makes these chapters worth reading. Truly. So if you guys want an awesome story to read, I HIGHLY recommend her story, The Left Coast. I read the chapter she's posting today and it's amazing. Seriously. Go. Read it. Now.**

**After, of course, you leave me a review! They are love and my musie appreciates them, too.**


	12. Chapter 12

**WHAT?! No waiting two weeks for an update?! It's because you guys are so amazing and left such sweet reviews, my muse went on a writing spree. Her and I are just finishing up the last chapter of TSAS so you'll have weekend updates from here on out. Woo!**

**A HUGE thank you goes to Layla Reyne for being an amazing beta. Seriously. She's the best. Also, go read her story, The Left Coast. I'm a bit obsessed with it.**

**Onto the good stuff now...**

* * *

"You're going to pack a bag and come stay with me."

_What the hell? _

Elena pulled away from Damon, clutching the sheet to her chest while she glared at him. "What?"

"You're not staying here anymore," he repeated calmly.

She scooted further away from him. "Says who?"

Damon sighed and ran his hands through his hair, clearly frustrated. "Says me and Liz Forbes, the woman who came to your rescue the first time your dad put you in the hospital. I'm not about to stand by and watch him do it again, Elena!"

"You don't know anything, Damon," she hissed, perching on the edge of her bed and shakily pulling on her clothes. There was no way he knew everything. This couldn't be happening to her. "You have no proof."

Damon came around the bed, also having thrown on his jeans. His fingers wrapped around her wrists lovingly, yet strong enough that she couldn't pull away. "The fear in your eyes is all the proof I need," he said softly, looking into her eyes like he could see down to her very soul. "I know you're scared that nobody is going to believe you, but I believe you. And you don't deserve to live this life."

The softness of his voice, the truth in his words, and the weight on her shoulders was too much. It was all too much. "Shut up, just shut up!" she screamed, jerking away from him and fighting the tears in her eyes. "You don't know shit, Damon! Why are you doing this to me?"

He didn't even stutter, didn't even stumble. He grabbed her firmly, holding her in the safety of his arms. The place she didn't _want_ to need as much as she did.

"Because I love you!" His impassioned cry froze her in place. "And even if you don't feel the same for me, I do know that you feel safe with me. You know that I'll protect you no matter what, and there's nothing in the world you want more than to feel like that."

"Damon..." she begged shakily when he took her face in his hands.

"Please, Elena. Just do this," he whispered, his sweet breath rushing over her face. She wanted to breathe him in, wanted to pull him into her. But she couldn't, and she couldn't believe the sweet things he was saying. She didn't deserve him or his protection. Especially not his love.

"I can't just leave Jeremy here," she said, a piss poor excuse that she knew he'd never accept; she could see it in his eyes.

Damon opened his mouth to speak but was cut off.

"I'll be fine," Jeremy said. They both turned to find him standing in the doorway. "Elena, please go with him."

Elena's eyes flicked between her brother and Damon, seeing the resolve in both of their gazes. She knew she couldn't argue with either of them and if she was honest, she didn't want to. Damon was right. She wanted to be saved, she wanted to feel protected, and in his arms was the only place that she did. She hated it, but it was the truth.

Conceding with a nod, she grabbed a large duffel bag out of her closet and started packing. Damon sat on the edge of the bed and watched her with soft eyes while Jeremy gathered her toiletries from the bathroom. Zipping her bag shut, she was amazed that she was actually doing it, that she was finally escaping the hell of a house she grew up in.

Damon took her bag, slinging it over his shoulder, as she crossed the room and wrapped her arms around her brother. It was weird leaving him behind, but she knew he'd be safe. He had plenty of friends, plenty of other houses he could crash at.

"I love you, Jer," she said softly, squeezing him tight around his middle.

"I love you, too, Elena," he replied, before pulling away and pushing her toward Damon.

Damon's fingers intertwined with hers as he led her down the stairs and to his Camaro. Squeezing his hand as they pulled away, she watched her sad excuse of a home disappear in the rearview mirror.

* * *

Elena's nerves hit a high when they pulled up to Damon's apartment. All she could think about was the last time she'd been here and how disastrous it had been. She tried to push that whole night from her mind, but it was preying on her like a disease. She climbed the stairs on shaky legs, her breath held. She knew she needed to put that night behind her, but the weight on her chest wouldn't let up.

They entered the dark apartment, and she followed Damon down the hallway and into his bedroom. Perching on the edge of his bed, she tentatively looked around the room, trying not to think of that goddess-like woman in Damon's shower. Naked.

Damon cleared out a few drawers, moving around clothes and socks before moving to the bathroom and doing the same thing in there. She should've felt elated that Damon was making room for her in his life. That he wanted her settled here, not just staying over and living out of her suitcase for a few nights.

She flinched when the front door slammed shut.

"I'm home," Stefan called from down the hallway.

"Everything go okay?" Damon asked, looking over at Stefan, who was blocked from her view by the bedroom door.

"Yep, flight was on time and Kat said she'd text when she lands," Stefan said.

Elena's heart dropped at hearing Katherine's name. The woman had been the source of so much pain that night and for the past week.

Damon scowled a bit when he eyed her rigid frame. He said a terse goodnight to Stefan before closing and locking the door. She could see his shoulders rise and fall with the deep breath he took before turning to face her. They locked eyes as the silence fell around them.

"So Katherine left," Elena said, desperate to break the increasingly oppressive silence and to know where things stood between him and Katherine.

"Yeah, she's gone. For good," Damon answered, walking over to the bed and sitting down next to her.

"Will you tell me about her?" she asked quietly.

Damon took another deep breath before nodding. "Katherine and I grew up next door to each other. Our fathers were business partners and our parents joked for years that we'd end up getting married. So, it seemed natural that we would start dating in high school and that we would go to the same college and get engaged. I thought I loved her, much to our parents' delight."

Elena cringed hearing Damon talk about loving someone other than her. She knew she didn't deserve his love, but that didn't stop the selfish part of her from wanting it.

"My sophomore year of college, I took a history class and loved it. My professor really worked with me, letting me shadow him and help with research for his book, and I realized that I loved a class more than I loved my own fiancée. After that moment everything in my life - being with Katherine, following my father's plan for me - felt suffocating. I was miserable," he admitted, his voice quivering a bit, telling her just how hard that time in his life had been for him. "I realized that I didn't love the life my father wanted for me like I thought I did and with that, maybe I didn't love Katherine like I thought I did. For the next year, I worked with an academic advisor, found a school with a top-notch history program that I could transfer to, and found a scholarship to pay my way. When I told Stefan about my plans, he had no desire to inherit the life I was leaving behind, so we found him a scholarship, too."

Damon paused, staring at his fiddling fingers before looking up at her again. "I told my father my plans and walked out of his home and his perfect life without a glance back. I then went straight to Katherine's and called off the engagement, but she refused to believe it was true until I actually moved out here."

"What was she doing here, then?" Elena asked with more hurt in her voice than she wanted. Damon reached over and took her hand in his, offering a small comfort.

"She still doesn't get it and my father encourages her delusions. He arranged for her to come out here and stay with us, hoping that if I saw Katherine again I'd realize what I was giving up to be here. They both hoped that I would see the light and come home to take my rightful place as the heir to the Salvatore fortune. Neither of them realized that I had someone else in my life," he explained with a light squeeze of her hand. His eyes blazed with such sincerity that the weight on her chest began to lighten a little bit.

"I didn't mean to lie to you, Elena. I didn't want you to have to worry about what she meant to me. I knew I was stupid for not telling you, and I hate that my stupidity hurt you, but anything that I once felt for Katherine is nothing compared to what I feel for you. Everything about my relationship with Katherine was a farce." His voice grew impassioned as he cupped her face with his hands. "But you? You know me, you see _me,_ not the person my father or Katherine want to see."

They sat there in silence, staring into the others' eyes and nothing else mattered - not that he lied, not that his lies caused the worst night of her life. All that mattered was them.

"Damon?" she whispered, her hands settling on top of his, holding them in place. "Will you say it again?"

His eyes clouded with confusion as he searched her face, trying to understand her question. She knew the moment when he realized what she was asking because his eyes cleared and a small, sweet smile pulled at his lips.

"I love you, Elena," he declared quietly, but proudly, his voice unwavering.

With her own smile, she leaned in and pressed her lips against his. He deepened the kiss, pulling her closer and wrapping his arms around her as if he couldn't hold her tight enough. And in that moment, there was no place she'd rather be.

* * *

The roar of the crowd echoed off the tiled walls. The shouts of excitement for the competing relay teams were reaching deafening levels, but Elena was screaming right along with them. Damon was the last to swim on the team, his strongest stroke - freestyle. He was on the block, gearing up for when Tyler swam into the wall and he could dive into the water. Elena's heart was pounding; they were in first, but just barely.

Damon leaned over the block, curling his fingers over the edge, ready to launch him into the water and win the national title. When Tyler's fingers touched the wall, Damon was in the air and splashing into the water. She watched his shadow gain momentum under water, surfacing with fluid and precise movements, slowly but surely gaining distance ahead of the pack. Elena's heart was in her throat while she cheered for her man. She clapped and jumped around like a fool, but she didn't care. Damon was going to win this and she couldn't be more proud.

His arms and legs ate up the laps and soon he was in the final stretch. Her whole body was at attention watching him swim toward the finish. He was so close! If he kept his pace, he'd win it for his team. The second place team was gaining on him, but Damon pushed through and tapped the wall. Elena's eyes grew wide and she screamed at the top of her lungs, jumping up and down. He did it! He won! The stands went crazy with excitement as they swarmed the swimmers. She was happy to just hang back and watch, allowing Damon to soak up all the attention without worrying about her. The smile on his face was heart stopping, but what was most heart stopping was the fact that she'd seen that smile before, directed at her. It was hard to imagine that she made him that happy.

She slipped down the stands, making her way to the locker room exit, content to wait for Damon there so she could have him to herself. She couldn't stop smiling, she was so proud of him. After putting that awful night behind her, she'd been able to accept Damon's love with an open heart, yet she still hadn't said it back. She knew she loved him, it was more clear to her than anything in the world, but the words just wouldn't come. She only hoped that he could see the words in the way she looked at him or in the way they made love or in the way she kissed him.

Living with Damon the past few days had been like a dream. They transitioned seamlessly, living comfortably together. She loved brushing her teeth next to him at night and waking up with him wrapped around her in the morning. She loved cooking in his kitchen as if it was her own and the way he would corner her in the hall just to kiss her or tell her she was beautiful. For once in her life, she actually felt valued, that she wasn't unworthy. Every time Damon's gorgeous blue eyes landed on her, she felt like the only person in the world.

She pressed her back against the tile wall, a ridiculous smile on her face. Maybe tonight she would tell Damon. Maybe tonight she would store up her courage and say those three little words. Maybe tonight she could verbalize exactly what he meant to her. Excitement and nerves collided inside of her, the mere thought making her feel almost giddy.

She heard footsteps coming down the hall, but didn't bother to look up. She knew Damon wouldn't be finished showering just yet. He was probably still being worshipped by his supporters.

"Fancy seeing you here." Hearing Atticus's voice made her heart plummet.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she snapped, recoiling from his nearness. Everything about him made her sick. All she could think about was what she'd done.

He shrugged with a grin that made her insides churn. "Supporting my team, what else?"

"Stalking is a crime," she fired back, glaring at him and his arrogance.

"If I remember correctly, you were the one who came to me," he said, moving closer to her. He picked up a lock of her hair and held it to his nose, breathing her in.

She slapped his hand away and took another step backward, her back hitting the opposite wall. "And it was the biggest mistake of my life."

He laughed, but the sound held no humor. "You need me and you know it. You'll never survive without me. He's going to hurt you again and guess who is going to be there for you when he does?"

"Leave me the hell alone," she hissed, unable to listen to his words any longer. She couldn't stand the reminder of what a fuck up she was.

"I would, but you were the one who showed up at my house last week, begging for your fix, to make it all go away, to not feel for just a little bit because he hurt you so badly," he said in a low, menacing voice.

Though he was towering over her, she stood up straight, faking courage that she didn't possess. "It's not going to happen again, because I love Damon and he loves me."

"That's rich, Elena," he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "I thought you weren't capable of love." He paused and a sick smile pulled at his lips. "Does Damon know? Does he know that you came to me that night? Does he know all the things you did with your mouth? Does he know what you got out of it?"

She wanted to run or throw up or both. How could she deny his sickening words when they both knew they were the truth?

She was about to respond when Atticus's eyes focused on something over her shoulder. The sinking feeling in her gut told her not to turn around, that maybe if she didn't, the impending doom she felt would pass. But she did turn and what she saw shattered her.

Never had she seen Damon look so devastated. He'd heard. He'd heard it all. _Oh God! _She'd put that look on his face, that hopelessness in his eyes.

"Damon-"

"Save it, Elena," he grimaced, the look on his face telling her that he couldn't even stand to hear her voice. He turned on his heel, storming off down the hallway and possibly out of her life. She did the only thing she could; she chased after him. She couldn't lose him.

"Damon!" she called, struggling to catch up to him. "Please, just give me a second to explain!"

He whirled around so fast that she almost ran into him. "Oh, like how you gave me a second to explain before you went running to that... that _creep_?!" he yelled bitterly, gesturing down the hall to where Atticus still stood, clearly enjoying the show.

Her eyes burned with humiliation, guilt, and the absolute fear that she was going to lose him.

He turned again, but she caught his arm, spinning him back to face her. "I was angry and confused, utterly heart-broken. I've never dealt with those emotions before, Damon." She was begging, plain and simple, but she didn't care. She was desperate. "I had nowhere to go, Jeremy wasn't home, my father _was_ home and you had Katherine to entertain. I was lost and scared and hurt."

"So you go to _him_?!" he roared, making her flinch. "And you sleep with him for... for what? A bottle of pills?! Do you know how fucking sick that is? How fucking sick _he_ is?"

The truth in his words stung despite the fact that she already knew how sick she was. How sick Atticus was. Her heart was breaking that very second and the tears that had been burning her eyes finally broke free.

He shook his head in disgust, as if her tears made him physically ill. "I can't even look at you right now."

Elena saw the resignation in his eyes. He was done with her. "Please don't leave me, Damon. I love you!"

Damon froze at the door. Once he walked through it, he'd be out of her life forever. His humorless chuckle sent a shiver down her spine in the worst way. "Do you know how much it hurts to hear you say you love me for the first time to _him_? Do you, Elena? It _fucking kills_."

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, unable to say anything else. He was going to leave her. She'd ruined them.

"Yeah, me too," he said with a sigh, running his hand through his hair. "For thinking that I would be different for you. For thinking that maybe, just maybe, you were The One. Well, I'm a fucking idiot. Goodbye, Elena."

He pushed his way through the door and she couldn't stop the desperate cries that tore from her throat. "Damon... Damon!"

He was gone. She knew it, but couldn't, wouldn't accept it. He was the light. She couldn't lose the light. She couldn't go back to the dark; she would never make it out again.

She wasn't sure how long she stayed in that empty hallway, staring at the space where Damon had stood and told her good-bye. When she accepted that he wouldn't return and that it wasn't a nightmare, she sucked up her pride and slowly made her way home. And not to the place that had become her home - with Damon. No, instead she was forced to return to the place that haunted her every thought, to the place that held her every fear.

The walk was long and though the sun was out, she felt like she was walking in the shadows. She felt cold and lost in every way a person could be.

She passed her days in the kitchen, a bottle of Jack in one hand and her hard-earned bottle of pills in the other. She deserved to be miserable, she deserved to destroy herself. Especially after she'd destroyed Damon. She knew she'd never be good enough for his love and she proven herself right. Who would want her now? Who would want someone like herself who only had a fucked up idea of love to offer?

The small white pills disappeared one after another, along with shot after shot of Jack. Her mind stayed in a perpetual state of incoherence. The only thing she knew was what John had drilled into her brain over the years. She was worthless. She was nothing. She was a waste.

When her father finally walked through the front door almost a week later, she smiled. She was going to get what she deserved. She was going to pay for hurting Damon, for dragging him into her world, only to destroy him. She would finally pay for her sins.

"Hello, John," she slurred, holding onto the couch as she stood on shaky legs.

He looked her over with blazing hatred, shaking his head as he eyed the empty bottle of Jack and the little orange pill bottle next to it on the table.

"You're no better than your mother," he spat.

The words almost soothed her. That's what she deserved. She was useless, a body with no soul.

"You going to kill me like you killed her, John?" she goaded. Her sick, twisted smile only widening when rage flooded his eyes. She counted his steps as he neared her. She wasn't afraid for once. She wanted this, she deserved this. Elena finally recognized the person her father saw when he looked at her.

"Go on, John," she said. "Hit me. Do it."

And he did.

* * *

***ducks***

**You had to know the angst was coming, right? I mean... you know who is writing this story. ;)**

**We're in for pretty intense chapters until the very end. Hold on tight, my friends.**

**Reviews are love! (A friendly reminder that authors have feelings too, just remember that while you review. :D ) YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING. **


	13. Chapter 13

**I'm baaaaaaack! You guys, I'm on a roll and I can tell you right now, you WILL have an update next weekend too! Thank you all for your reviews last chapter, you set a RECORD. GAH. You guys! I can't put into words how thankful I am. **

**A HUGE thank you goes to Layla Reyne, as usual. Without whom, these chapters would be an embarrassment to fanfiction everywhere.**

**Not only is she an amazing beta, but an equally amazing author. Go check out her stories. The Left Coast is so awesome and her other story, Four Tragedies, is gonna be quite the angsty ride. **

**Okay, onto the story... **

* * *

Anger faded to hurt. Hurt faded to loneliness. Loneliness faded to longing. Longing made him angry again.

Damon was on a never-ending spiral, or so it felt. How could Elena betray him like that? How could he still love her after what she'd done? Was it enough to know that she loved him too? Was that enough to make him forget the rest and be happy?

He sat at his table in the dining hall, his old table, surrounded by people who made him miserable, while watching for the girl who'd shattered his heart. All he really wanted was to be back at his apartment, drinking himself into a stupor like he'd done all weekend. Tyler and the team hadn't let the high from their national title distract them from the newest rumors emerging about Elena. He figured that was the only reason he'd been accepted back into the fold. They wanted the dirt on her, but he wasn't giving them any.

He checked his watch again and glanced at Elena's table. Thirty minutes into their shared lunch time and she still hadn't shown. He didn't know why he was waiting to see her. Maybe so he could assure himself that she hadn't done anything dangerous or self-destructive, or that John hadn't done it for her. Maybe because he missed her.

"I hear Professor Shane is now being investigated for supplying students with drugs," Rebekah said as she plopped down at their table.

Tyler scoffed. "So not only is Elena a freak, but a prostitute as well."

Damon's blood boiled. He glanced around the table, noticing everyone shifting uncomfortably, even Caroline.

His minuscule thread of patience snapping, Damon slammed his fists onto the table, making everyone jump. "If you don't shut the hell up," he growled, "I will beat the fucking shit out of you."

"Hey," Stefan said, interrupting what could've been a very violent altercation. "Let's go, Damon."

Damon pushed himself to his feet and stalked off, barely hearing Stefan's warning for Tyler to "have some fucking respect."

Knowing he wouldn't be able to concentrate in the class he shared with Elena, Damon went straight to the parking lot, making a beeline for his car. Stefan was on his heels, his bat bag slung over his shoulder, and Damon made no protest when his brother snatched the keys out of his hand. He knew he was in no state to drive.

"Where are we going?" Damon asked, as Stefan pulled out of the parking lot, turning the opposite way they normally would to go home.

"To blow off some steam," Stefan answered vaguely.

Still too pent up to inquire further, Damon sunk back into the seat, absently watching the scenery fly by. When they passed the achingly familiar roads of Elena's neighborhood, Damon asked Stefan to make a small detour, taking them right down the Gilbert's street. The house seemed quiet and there was no sign of John's car in the driveway. Damon breathed a temporary sigh of relief.

"Is she safe in that house, Damon?" Stefan asked quietly, as they drove back toward the main road.

Damon watched Elena's house disappear in the rearview mirror before turning to his brother.

"No. She's not."

Stefan's face hardened, along with his voice. "What can we do about it?"

Damon studied Stefan, noticing not for the first time how much of a man he'd become since moving out of their father's house. He loved his little brother just a bit more in that moment. Stefan was always so willing to help others; his capacity to love was infinite.

"I don't think she wants to be saved," Damon answered, as they pulled into the parking lot of the batting cages Stefan frequented. Damon raised an eyebrow, turning back to his brother. "Uh, Stefan? Did you forget how dangerous it is to give me a bat?"

Stefan laughed and shook his head. "Oh I remember, still have the knot on my skull to remind me. However, nothing puts your head back on straight like a good ass-kicking."

Damon smiled for the first time since the fallout with Elena. "You're on, but if I send you to the emergency room again, you're paying your own hospital bill."

The last time Stefan had convinced him to come to the batting cages with him, Damon had reared back, ready to hit the ball, but instead launched his bat right into Stefan's head, giving him a concussion.

They got themselves a cage, put on their helmets and started swinging. As usual, Damon sucked.

"And this is why you're a swimmer. No hand-eye coordination whatsoever," Stefan ribbed him with a chuckle.

"Shut it, Steffy. At least I don't sink like a rock the moment I get into the water. Or cry," Damon shot back with a raised eyebrow.

"C'mon, Damon," Stefan whined, stepping up to the plate and circling his arms, warming up his shoulders. "I was like six."

"You were twelve!" Damon barked out with a laugh. Stefan rolled his eyes, but didn't dispute it.

Focusing on the machine launching baseballs, Stefan hit every ball sent his way with the same precision that landed him his full ride to MFU and, Damon suspected, would probably one day soon earn him a shot at the majors.

Pride swelled in Damon's chest watching his little brother in his element. It was talent that their father could never see. Giuseppe Salvatore only saw his sons as pawns to further his company. But when Damon watched his brother play the sport that he loved, he saw so much more. He knew he'd made the right choice bringing Stefan with him to Virginia. Stefan had so much talent and such a love for the sport that it would have killed Damon to see him stuffed up in conference rooms for the rest of his life.

"What are we going to do about Elena?" Stefan asked when he finished his round, handing the bat back over to Damon for more humiliation.

Damon accepted the bat and shrugged while slipping his helmet over his head. "Even if I tried to save her, she wouldn't let me. She doesn't think she deserves to be saved."

Stefan huffed out a breath and shook his head sadly. "That's fucked up. We have to do _something_."

"I know, Stefan. I know."

* * *

The week still dragged, even though the outing with his brother had helped improve his mood somewhat. Everyday that Elena didn't show up at school, Damon worried. He hated that she was in that house. He drove by everyday, even twice a day sometimes just to be sure John wasn't there.

His mind was at war with his heart. He longed for her, to hold her in his arms again and make her laugh, but his head reminded him of what she'd done. How she'd purposely set out to hurt him like he'd hurt her. And hurt him she had.

Needing a distraction, he threw himself into the history papers Alaric had asked him to grade. It was a mindless task, but one he welcomed happily.

There was a knock at the open office door, and Damon looked up to find Professor Shane hovering awkwardly in the doorway.

"Damon, could I speak to you for a moment?"

"I have nothing to say to you," he snapped.

"I have plenty to say to you," Professor Shane said with a little more fire, walking into the office and shutting the door behind him. "I'm worried about Elena. She's self destructive when she's upset and she has an entire bottle of pills at her disposal, just asking to be abused."

The rage Damon felt just looking at the man in front of him boiled over. How dare he act like he cared about Elena! Suddenly, everything he knew about their fucked up arrangement made sense.

"You know what, I actually do have something to say to you," Damon said, standing with his hands planted firmly on the dark wood desk. "Elena is no longer your concern. You should have never given her those pills in the first place. I think you are a sick motherfucker that deserves to rot in jail for what you've done, for how you took advantage of her." As he spoke, Damon walked slowly around the desk to stand right in from of Professor Shane, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "You took advantage of that self destructive behavior and made her dependent on you, so don't you dare fucking act like you give a shit now."

"She came to me, I was just taking care of her," Professor Shane shot back, crossing his arms over his chest and lifting his chin arrogantly.

Before Damon could think through the consequences, his fist reared back and launched into the professor's smug face, knocking him off balance.

"_I_ will take care of Elena from now on," Damon seethed, hovering over the pathetic man's hunched form. "_I'll_ make sure she gets the help that she needs because I love her. And you will stay the hell away from her or so help me God, I will make your life a living hell."

Damon marched to the door, opening it wide for the professor to leave and watching him walk gingerly down the hallway until he disappeared from sight. Realizing that Elena was just as much a victim as he was freed Damon from the hurt and sadness that had plagued him all week. She'd trusted Professor Shane to help her, but instead, he'd used her for his sick fantasies. Just thinking about the way Professor Shane had spoken to Elena that day at the swim meet made his stomach roll. How had he not seen what Professor Shane was doing to her? How he'd manipulated her, abused her? He'd let his own pride and anger cloud his vision.

The shrill ring of his cellphone pulled Damon back into the office. He snatched the device off the desk and saw it was Jeremy calling. "Hello?"

"Damon! I need your help. Please," Jeremy begged on the line, sounding out of breath and clearly panicked.

"What's going on, Jer?" Damon asked, trying to keep himself calm. "Where are you?"

"I'm at home," he answered, and Damon heard a whimper in the background that made his knees buckle. "Please, Damon. Just get here as fast as you can."

"I'm on my way," Damon said as he snapped the phone shut and took off out of the office and toward his car. His mind was running wild with possible scenarios, but he forced himself to stay focused, to drive smart and not put himself in any danger. Jeremy and Elena needed him, and he would be damned if he wasn't there for them.

* * *

As Damon pulled up to the quiet, familiar house, the rock in the pit of his stomach grew heavier. Something was seriously wrong. Jogging up the walk, he noticed John's car in the driveway and his pace quickened.

The door swung open just as he approached, revealing Jeremy in jeans and a bloodstained T-shirt.

"What the hell happened?" Damon barked, his shock and stress preventing him from controlling his voice.

Jeremy stared at him for almost a full minute before his face crumpled. His shoulders shook as he sobbed into his big hands.

"Jeremy, what's going on?" Damon asked, much calmer this time though the feeling in his gut had only gotten worse.

"She wanted to die." His voice was hoarse, but the words were clear. "She overdosed, got drunk, and provoked him. She just let him beat the hell out of her. Why would she do that?"

_Oh God._ It was so much worse than he thought. Damon pushed past Jeremy and into the house, frantically searching for Elena. He didn't have to go far. She was lying on the living room floor, in a small pool of blood, with cuts on her face and bruises already marring her skin. Her eyes were closed and her chest was barely moving.

Damon rushed to her side, dropping to his knees next to her. He needed to touch her, but didn't know where he could without causing her pain. Tears stung his eyes as he stared at the shell of the woman he loved.

He looked up at Jeremy, who was standing in the entryway, his eyes red and puffy from his own tears.

"Please get her to safety. John's still here somewhere. I got here just in time to pull him off her, but she can't be here. She needs a hospital," Jeremy pleaded.

Damon nodded, knowing that if John was still around, there was no way an ambulance could get her out of there as quickly as he could.

"Call the police and report this. He needs to be arrested," Damon commanded.

"Already did," Jeremy said, giving him a simple nod, and Damon could see the determination in the younger man's eyes. He wasn't going to let his father get away with this. Not this time. Not ever again.

Careful not to jostle her too much, Damon lifted Elena's limp body into his arms and cradled her close to his chest. He made sure his steps were smooth but fast. He gently laid her across the back seat of his Camaro and took off. When he took a turn a little faster than he should have, Elena groaned from the backseat.

"I know, baby. Just hold on. Please, Elena, just hold on," he begged, not caring that his voice cracked or that his eyes flooded with tears. He reached his hand over the seats and held hers the rest of the way.

When he arrived at the hospital, he parked his car in the first spot he found and leapt out the door. Once Elena was back in his arms, he took off toward the automatic doors that led to the emergency room.

"Help me!" he yelled the moment he stepped into the waiting room. Seeing the beaten girl in his arms, the staff jumped into action. He was reluctant to let her go, but he allowed the nurses to take her and lay her on a gurney. He followed them out of the waiting room and into an emergency bay, staying out of the way while the nurses quickly stripped off her bloody clothes and cleaned her wounds. He barely registered what they were saying; he could only stare at the near-lifeless body in the middle of the curtained area.

"Sir?" a voice said, accompanied by a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see a woman in a white lab coat looking up at him expectantly. "If you could follow me, I have some paper work that needs to be filled out."

Damon nodded and followed the woman to the nurse's station where they gave him a clipboard with a pen chained to it and instructed him to fill it out before bringing it back to them. He filled in all the lines he knew. Her name, her birthday, about how much she weighed. Yet, he was discouraged by how much he didn't know about her. Was she allergic to anything? When was the date of her last period? Did she have any family history of cancer or other diseases?

He handed the clipboard back to the nurse with a resigned sigh and was instructed to sit tight in the waiting room until the doctor came to find him.

In the quiet of the waiting room, the weight of what had happened finally hit him. Elena wanted John to hit her, wanted him to beat her. His heart shattered wondering what frame of mind she must have been in. He sucked in a harsh breath and choked on it. God, what kind of nightmare was she living? He should have gone to her sooner. He should've figured out that Professor Shane had her confused. He should've been there for her instead of sending her right back into that hellhole.

Three agonizing hours passed, his mind torturing him with what-ifs. No one had updated him on Elena's condition and he was going mad. He was up and pacing when Liz and Jeremy rushed in.

"Have you heard anything?" Liz asked.

Damon shook his head dejectedly, noticing how worn down both she and Jeremy looked. This had been just as hard on them. Jeremy slumped into a chair as if his legs couldn't bear the weight of him any longer. Damon felt horrible for the young man who'd become like another little brother to him.

"What happened with John?" Damon asked.

"He's in custody. It's Friday, so they'll have to hold him until Monday. He hit Jeremy when he was pulling him off of Elena, so I've got grounds to file for a temporary restraining order for the both of them first thing Monday morning," Liz explained. "That'll give us time to convince Elena to file a domestic violence action in family court and cooperate with the DA to file a criminal charges against John for assault and battery. Though, since he also hit Jeremy, who's a minor, we've already got a case in family court for endangering a child."

"I want that fucker to suffer," Damon growled.

"Believe me, I do too, and we should have enough to nail him this time. But first, we have to get the TRO," Liz said. "And I'm working to get custody of Jeremy. John will have no right to contest, and I was already named a standby guardian in Izzy's will, so there shouldn't be any issues. They can both come to live with me as soon as she's released."

"Are you the family of Elena Gilbert?"

Everyone stood and approached the same doctor that had escorted Damon away from Elena hours earlier. It was only then that Damon noticed how young she was and how her eyes already carried the sadness that only came from working trauma cases night after night in the ER.

"I'm her brother," Jeremy said, stepping forward and looking many years older than his seventeen.

"I'm Doctor Fell," she said kindly, reaching out and shaking his hand. "Would you like to discuss a few things with me in the hallway?"

"No," Jeremy said firmly, crossing his arms over his chest. "We can do it here, we are all family."

Dr. Fell sighed but nodded. "Elena suffered a lot of physical trauma - bruised ribs, a concussion, and a sprained wrist - but it's the high dose of benzodiazepine and alcohol in her system that we're most concerned with right now. It's obvious that it was no accident, so I have to put her on a twenty-four hour suicide watch."

Damon's world bottomed out. _Suicide watch?_ The reality of what Elena had done to herself ripped him apart. Liz stepped forward, placing a hand on his shoulder and her other one on Jeremy's. Offering all the strength she could give.

"We are also setting her up with a therapist that she can meet with two to three times a week," Dr. Fell continued. "And I highly recommend getting her into a rehab program, though the therapist will be able to get a better idea of that."

"How is she doing?" Liz asked.

"We just have to wait for the drugs and alcohol to work their way out of her system. She will be under observation for the next twenty-four hours while we monitor her progress. Her ribs have been wrapped and the concussion isn't severe enough to warrant more than overnight observation. However, we cannot give her any pain pills, so she'll be suffering quite a bit when she wakes," Dr. Fell explained.

"Can we see her?" Damon asked quietly.

"She'll be allowed visitors," Dr. Fell said with a nod. "But only one at a time."

Damon wasn't satisfied. "How soon can we see her?"

"You're welcome to see her now," Dr. Fell said. "She's been moved to a private room, though I can't say for sure when she'll wake."

They thanked the doctor and silence descended after she walked away. There was bittersweet relief in hearing that Elena would be okay - at least physically. Damon had no idea where she'd be mentally. That was what worried him the most. What if she was never the same? What if he never got to hear her laugh or see her smile again? It was too hard to even contemplate. She was going to get help. And she was stronger than this, that much he knew for a fact.

Damon encouraged Jeremy to be the first to see his sister as he and Liz sat and waited in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

"You know, I researched rehab facilities for Izzy," Liz said suddenly. Her voice seemed loud in the eerie quiet of the waiting room.

Damon didn't reply, but lifted his head to look over at Liz.

"She was willing to turn her life around until she realized her kids wouldn't be able to go see her. I told her that she needed to get better for herself. That Jeremy and Elena didn't deserve a ghost of a mother. They deserved one who was strong, one who could stand on her own." When he noticed Liz's voice go shaky, she paused to take a deep breath. "It was the only way she'd survive escaping John."

"We got into a fight about it," she continued, staring straight ahead. "I tried to explain that it would be what was best for her and for her kids, but she wouldn't listen. That was the last conversation I had with her."

"Why are you telling me this?" Damon finally asked. Liz's gaze moved from the wall to him and what he saw in her eyes made his gut clench. He had a bad feeling about where this conversation was going.

"I think you know why," she answered. "I know you love Elena, and it makes me so happy to know that she's got you in her corner, but she needs to learn how to be strong on her own."

"Elena's the strongest person I know," Damon replied, his voice a little more defensive than he intended.

Liz shook her head, smiling slightly. "She needs to learn how to love herself. She needs to believe that she deserves to be loved. She can't be a ghost of a woman any longer."

Liz's words hit him like a slap in the face. They hurt, that much was certain, but they also made him realize what was most important - Elena. He knew what he needed to do. It was a decision that would kill him, that would rip him apart inside, but he had to do it - for Elena. She deserved that much from him. He would take any amount of pain for her to get better and be happy again.

When Jeremy returned to the waiting room and told him that Elena was awake and asking for him, he rose from his chair and nodded. His steps felt heavy as he walked down the hall, his stomach filled with dread. His body was preparing for the inevitable pain, yet trying to stop him from going through with it.

Damon's heart was pounding with fear, nerves and anxiety as he pushed open the heavy door to her room. Elena had her bed in an upright position, very much depending on it to support her weight since she was too weak to do it herself. Her head turned slowly when the sound of the door shutting echoed through the room. Though she looked worse for wear, her smile was magnificent.

"Hi," Damon said quietly, approaching her bedside with caution.

"Hi," she replied shyly.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, lowering himself into the open chair next to her bed.

"Pretty shitty, to be honest," she answered. She sounded like herself, which was a relief.

Damon nodded, unsure of what to say, letting an awkward silence fall between them.

"Damon," she whispered after a few tense moments, her soft, small hand moving to cover one of his. "I wasn't trying to kill myself. You have to know that."

He looked up to find her eyes shining with tears and sincerity and his heart cracked a bit more.

"I never wanted to hurt you," she breathed shakily, blinking back the liquid that he could see pooling in her eyes. "I've never loved anyone as much as I love you."

He squeezed her hand as her words fell around him, wrapping him in their warm comfort. HIs voice was hoarse when he replied, "I know."

"I'm so sorry, Damon," she said thickly, both of her hands covering one of his. "I was so messed up and confused and feeling guilty. I'm so sorry for what I did to you." Her broken sob gutted him, making his eyes sting with the sheer force of it.

"He took advantage of you, Elena," Damon said firmly, willing her to know what he understood now. "He used you and made you dependent on him."

She was shaking her head before he even finished speaking. "No, he might not be innocent, but I went to him. He didn't make me do anything."

Damon gripped her small fingers as pain squeezed his heart. "I know you want to blame yourself-"

"I do blame myself!" she cried, interrupting him and ripping her hands from his. "_I_ took the pills, _I_ drank the alcohol, _I_ asked to be hit. I put you and Jeremy through so much pain. I'm just like my mother."

Damon flinched away from her hate-filled words. But when her body shook with soft sobs, he pulled her hands back into his own.

"Hey," he said softly, though everything in him was screaming for him to not do what he planned to do. "It's going to be okay. You are not _her_. You are going to get help, you are going to get better."

As if sensing the impending doom, Elena shifted toward him, gripping his hand tightly. "Please don't leave me, Damon," she begged with tears rolling down her cheeks. "I need you."

"Listen," he commanded, moving his hands to cup her cheeks firmly. "You focus on you. Focus on getting better, on getting help and do it for _you_. And if in the end, you still want me back, then come back to me. Okay? And I promise I'll make sure Jeremy is safe, make sure he's taken care of, in the meantime. You don't have to worry about him or me. Just yourself, Elena."

She wrapped her fingers around his wrists and leaned her forehead against his as she whispered brokenly, "I can't do this without you."

"Yes, you can," he told her, his voice quiet but steady. "You are so strong, and I'm not going anywhere."

"I love you, Damon," she cried softly. "So much."

"Shhh," he hushed, brushing tears from her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs as his own fell unchecked. "I love you, too. Please, just get better."

Damon leaned in and pressed his lips hard against hers, unsure when he'd ever be able to do it again. When he pulled away, her eyes were still closed, like she was soaking it in. He forced himself to his feet and left without another look back. It hurt too much to look at her in that bed and not know when he would see her again. It was ripping him apart. He wanted to hold her in his arms and tell her that he'd be there for her through it all, but he knew that she needed to stand on her own two feet. He knew she'd be better for it, and if one day she came back to him, then they would be stronger for it.

That didn't mean it didn't hurt like hell.

He walked up to Liz who was standing in the hallway, leaning against the wall. Her head snapped up when he neared and she gave him a sad smile - no doubt knowing what he'd just done.

"You'll take care of her, right?" he asked, his voice shaky from the tears he was holding back.

"Of course I will," Liz assured him. "I know that it hurts, but you did the right thing, Damon."

He simply nodded, and before he could walk away, Liz pulled him into a tight hug. "Thank you for loving her, Damon."

The tears he'd been trying to hold back trickled down his cheeks. He brushed them away as Liz pulled back, but he knew she saw them. He tried to give her a smile before turning and walking down the hallway. Away from Elena.

Away from where his heart was lying in a hospital bed. As much as it killed him, he put one foot in front of the other, praying that she would keep it safe.

* * *

**Are we ugly crying or what? Believe me, it hurt to write it. **

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**Again, thank you for all the love you've given this story and even your frustrations with the characters, it tells me you are just as invested in this as I am. **

**Reviews are love. See you next week!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello! Seriously, I'm so humbled by all your sweet words and the fact that you all are just as invested in this as I am. Thank you for all the ugly crying, too! ;)**

**A huge thank you goes to my beta, Layla Reyne, who is seriously phenomenal. She's also getting ready to update TWO of her stories, Four Tragedies (for all you angst lovers, like me!) and The Left Coast (which is seriously so fun to read, I'm LOVING it more than I can tell you.) Go read her stories. Seriously. They rock.**

**Okay, I hate to say this, but this is the final chapter of To Save a Sinner. *cries***

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Elena stared at the white walls that had become home. Thirty days. Thirty long, hard, emotionally and physically draining days. She met with a therapist every day and a personal trainer every other day. Mason - her personal trainer - was nice and taught her how to redirect her anger, self-loathing and fear – all those bad thoughts and tendencies – into physical activity. Together, they would run miles on miles, eating up the distance and taking in the beautiful grounds of the rehab facility. Elena never knew she loved to run, but the release was better than anything she'd ever felt. It was up to her and her body alone to carry her all those miles; she couldn't depend on anyone else to do it for her, to make her feel good about herself.

She may have agreed to rehab voluntarily, but she never expected it to change her like this. She never expected to feel this good in her own body. She never knew she was so strong. In her therapy sessions, she'd been taken to the darkest recesses of her mind, explored the places she had gone to when she was hurting, the places where she had stored her most painful memories. Some days, it had felt like an exorcism. She'd go back to her room and not come out again until the next morning, trying to process the things she had uncovered about herself.

"You ready?" Jeremy's voice pulled her from her thoughts.

Elena glanced over at him and smiled. Or attempted to smile. She wasn't sure why she felt so melancholy about leaving. She knew she could stand on her own two feet now, that she could survive anything on her own.

"You don't look very happy about leaving," Jeremy said. She knew he was trying to disguise it, but she heard the hurt in his voice.

She sighed and looked up at him, amazed at how he'd transformed from a boy to a man almost before her eyes. He'd visited every family day, every Saturday, and she watched him grow week after week.

"I'm not sad," she replied, watching him cross the room and perch next to her on the edge of her bed. "I'm nervous, I guess. What if I get back into the real world and mess up?"

"Then good," he stated simply, shocking her.

Elena pulled back and searched his face for any sign of humor. She found none.

"Good?" she clarified warily.

"Elena, you're human. You're supposed to make mistakes. It's how you handle those mistakes that matters," Jeremy explained, and she stared at him slack jawed. When did her little brother become so smart?

"You know how to handle those mistakes now," he continued. "You have too many people who love you to let you go down that path again. And I think finally that you love _you_ enough now not to let _yourself_ go down that path again."

Tears stung her eyes and she blinked furiously to keep them from spilling over. He was right. He was so right. Her heart expanded and contracted almost painfully with the love she felt for her little brother. They'd done it. They'd survived together.

She pulled him into her arms and he went willingly, holding her while she squeezed the life out of him.

When they finally parted, Jeremy grabbed her bag, slinging it over his shoulder and leading her out. Doctor Martin, her therapist, and Mason stood in the lobby, beaming at her proudly. She would miss them, and there would always be a special place in her heart for them.

She hugged them both and thanked them for believing in her. They smiled back and wished her luck. She could see the faith they had in her in their eyes. They knew she could do it. _She_ knew she could do it.

Outside, Liz was waiting by her SUV, smiling broadly. Elena hugged the woman who'd taken Jeremy in and who'd made sure they had what they needed to keep John out of their lives for good.

In the car, Liz and Jeremy excitedly told her that a letter from Arizona State's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism had arrived for her in the mail. She'd almost forgotten that she'd been accepted their invitation to attend next fall. Jeremy also told her about spending more time with Bonnie, and Elena didn't miss the grin on his face when he talked about her.

They chatted about plans for Christmas, promising to do it up big since she'd missed Thanksgiving. They all laughed and smiled, but Elena sensed that everyone felt the elephant in the car.

_Damon_.

She knew he'd spent a lot of time with them, eating dinners, playing video games with Jeremy, and even going to all of Jeremy's football games. He'd also been working with Liz on their case against John, keeping his promise to make sure Jeremy was safe. Elena's heart clenched. She missed him, missed him so much. She wanted him to see her, to be proud of her. Her love for him had only grown as she'd learned to love herself. She'd finally gotten to know the girl that he'd seen all along. And now she wanted him to know that that girl loved him beyond a shadow of a doubt.

But what if he couldn't forgive her? She'd put him through hell, and she wouldn't be surprised if being apart from her had made him realize that he didn't deserve to be treated that way. She only hoped for a chance to apologize, to right her wrongs, to _show_ him that she loved him and that she finally felt deserving of his love.

They pulled up to Liz's house and Elena froze. Outside was Caroline, smiling shyly and standing underneath a handmade welcome home banner. Last time she'd checked, Caroline hated her guts. And now she was welcoming her home?

Jeremy jumped out of the car and grabbed her bag before walking up the sidewalk, ahead of her and Liz.

Caroline was full of surprises because when Elena neared, she pulled her into her arms. Elena awkwardly wrapped her own arms around the blonde, patting her back once before pulling away.

"Welcome home! You look great!" Caroline chirped. Elena only smiled back tentatively and then followed the small crowd into the house.

After taking her things to her new room, they all sat down to the huge welcome home dinner that Liz, Jeremy and even Caroline had helped make.

The meal started off quiet, the awkward scraping of silverware against plates filling the room. Elena decided to be the one to break it, asking Jeremy about his football games. After that, conversation flowed easily, and even Caroline participated, laughing along with the rest of them.

After dinner, Elena excused herself to her room to unpack. It was nice to have some time to herself. So far she'd acclimated well, but it had only been a few hours. She folded her shirts carefully and placed them in her new dresser.

A knock at her door pulled her from her lost thoughts, and she turned to find Caroline standing in the doorway.

"Can I come in?" she asked.

Elena silently nodded, moving away from the dresser to her bed, gesturing for Caroline to sit next to her. She smiled a bit and joined Elena immediately.

"How are you doing?" she asked, while her eyes taking in the small room.

"Um, good," Elena replied. "It's only been a few hours though."

"I mean with... everything," Caroline said, gesturing with her hand in the air.

Elena dropped her gaze to her hands, unsure how to respond. Silence fell between them as Elena racked her brain for something to say, but Caroline filled it instead.

"Damon looks miserable without you," she mentioned casually. Elena froze, her eyes snapping to Caroline's. Her heart started pounding at the mere thought of him.

"He does?" she asked quietly.

Caroline smiled, obviously knowing she'd hit the jackpot. "Everyday at lunch, he just stares at your table, like if he wishes hard enough, you'll just appear." She paused. "Have you talked to him at all?"

As much as it secretly pleased Elena to hear that Damon seemed to be missing her, Caroline's question reminded her that maybe looks weren't what they seemed.

"No, I haven't. I don't think he wants to talk to me," Elena admitted.

"I doubt that's true," Caroline snorted. "Even after everything went down, he almost took Tyler's head clean off when he talked bad about you."

Elena dropped her gaze to her hands again, unsure how to process that information.

"Elena?" Caroline asked softly. "I'm really sorry for the things I've done to you and what I've said about you. I didn't know what was going on in your world, but that's no excuse. I shouldn't have treated you like that."

Whoa. An apologetic and humbled Caroline was a sight she'd never seen before. Feeling brave, Elena reached out and placed her hand over Caroline's, squeezing it lightly.

"It's over now," she whispered. Caroline's eyes lifted to hers and Elena saw tears in them. The blonde then surprised her once more by pulling her into her second hug of the day.

"Thank you, Elena."

* * *

The rhythmic pounding of her feet hitting the pavement soothed her. It'd been a week and a half since she'd left rehab, and she'd had a therapy session with Doctor Martin earlier today. However, it wasn't her session that had her three miles into her run and still going strong. It was her conversation with Jeremy in the car on the way home.

He'd insisted on driving her to therapy appointments despite her telling him that she could manage on her own. That being said, she had to admit that riding with Jeremy was nice and gave them time to talk, just the two of them.

Today, he'd finally brought up the subject they'd both been avoiding - Damon.

"So, when are you going to talk to Damon?" Jeremy had asked without warning, just blurting it right out.

"Jer," she had warned. Her heart wasn't ready to know if Damon would be able to forgive her.

"No, Elena," Jeremy had snapped, making Elena's head jerk up. "You have to stop letting fear hold you back where Damon is concerned. You haven't let it hold you back with anything else since you got home."

She knew he was right; it was what she'd told herself everyday. She missed Damon, and she was ready for him to be in her life again.

"What if he can't forgive me?" she'd whispered.

"Well, you'll never know unless you take the first step," Jeremy had replied.

Her feet pounded harder as Jeremy's words resounded in her head. Again, he was right. Damon had told her to come back to him when she was ready, and she was more than ready.

But fear gripped her, holding her immovable.

She ran harder, faster, letting that fear fuel her every step. She took it from her mind and imagined her feet pounding it into the pavement, just like Mason had taught her.

She was strong.

She was worth it.

She deserved to be loved. She deserved to be loved by the man she was in love with.

She wanted Damon. Not to make herself feel better, but because her heart called for him. Because she could finally stand on her own and focus everything into loving him, not needing him like a crutch.

She took a turn at the next street, her feet finally carrying her to the place her heart called out to. She ran faster, pumped her arms harder needing to reach him as fast as humanly possible.

She approached the complex, took the stairs two at a time, and while her chest was still heaving with her panting breaths, she knocked on the door. Waiting for it to open was a monumental lesson in patience. It took everything in her to resist the overwhelming urge to pound on the door and scream until it opened and she could find her man.

It swung opened only seconds later, but the man standing there was not the one she was there to see.

"Elena?" Stefan asked, his voice full of surprise. "Wow, you look great!"

She smiled at the compliment that was becoming familiar to her ears.

"Where's Damon?" she asked breathlessly, cutting to the chase.

Stefan smiled knowingly, not looking a bit offended that she wasn't bothering with small talk.

"He's at the pool," Stefan replied.

The instant she knew where he was, she turned and bolted down the hall, only stopping to shout "Thanks, Stefan!" over her shoulder.

The run to the school was frantic and her technique was thrown to hell. She just wanted to find Damon, to take that first step. She needed to know if he could forgive her. If he could live with the things she'd done to him. If not, she'd be heartbroken, but she'd survive. That alone gave her the strength she needed.

Throwing open the aquatic center doors, she jogged down the halls, through the locker room and into the main pool area. The lights were all off except for the emergency overheads and the ones in the pool. Only the sound of Damon's strokes cutting through the water echoed through the building.

She stopped short, entranced by his body moving along the pool lane. His arms flexed with every pull and relaxed before he plunged them into the water once more. His powerful legs kicked out behind him, propelling him forward. Never failing, never slowing. God, he was magnificent. His flawless skin shimmered in the water - skin that she'd kissed, gripped and scratched. Heat pooled in her belly and her heart swelled. She loved him so much. She wanted him to see what she'd achieved.

She watched him until he finished, and then she stood riveted as he easily hoisted himself out of the deep end of the pool. Water droplets ran down his bare chest and the physical ache to touch him, to taste him, to be in his arms again was almost more than she could bear.

Towel in hand, Damon started moving toward the locker room, but when he looked up and saw her, he stopped dead in his tracks. Their eyes connected for the first time in over a month. His blue eyes shined even in the dim lighting. She just took him in, all the things she missed about him. Which was everything.

"Hi," she spoke first, a bit breathlessly.

"Hi," he replied warily.

"So," she said awkwardly, trying to fill the silence. "I completed rehab."

"I see that," he responded, his tone giving nothing away. "But what are you doing here?"

"I just... I wanted to say hi, I guess," she stuttered, his guarded reaction to her catching her completely off guard. "See how you're doing..." she trailed off when she realized she was getting nowhere.

"Elena," he said firmly, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "Why are you here?"

Why was she here? How could she possibly put into words all the things she was feeling? All the reasons why she'd wanted to come see him.

"Because I hurt you," she finally whispered. "And I'm so sorry. I know you can't forgive me for what I did, but I just need you to know how sorry I am."

Damon's expression didn't change; he merely looked at her with those indifferent eyes. "I never said that."

That gave her pause. "Never said what?"

"That I can't forgive you," he answered simply.

"I mean…" She floundered for words, her courage depleting with every second she stared into his closed off eyes. "You didn't have to, I just-"

"Elena," he interrupted, and this time his voice sounded desperate. "Why are you here? Why did you come looking for me?"

Suddenly, it all made sense. He was waiting for the truth, waiting for the words she'd desperately wanted to say to him, and he wanted her to say them willingly, without prompting. He wanted her to take the risk, to say them without knowing what would happen afterward.

She smiled a bit and noticed that his eyes warmed a few degrees. "Because I love you. I love you, Damon."

He started moving the moment those words came out of her mouth and had her face in his hands and his lips on hers just as his name left her lips. Her body sang, her blood ignited, her heart swelled. Wrapping her arms around his neck, her fingers combed through his wet hair as his body pressed into hers, wetting her shirt. But she didn't care. She had control of her life again, she had her man back, she had everything. And if tomorrow, she lost it all, she knew she'd still survive.

"I've missed you so much," he whispered as he peppered kisses all over her face, his arms moving to curl around her waist, holding her closer. Her smile was so broad that it almost hurt. She pulled his mouth back to hers, moaning when he sucked her bottom lip between his teeth, nipping it gently. She lost herself in him and their kiss, exploring his mouth with her tongue. He tasted just like she remembered, maybe even better.

When she pulled away after a few minutes, they were both breathless and smiling like idiots.

"There's one more thing that I wanted to tell you," she said softly, holding his face in her hands.

"What?" he asked, searching her eyes.

"I'm leaving. Moving, actually. To Arizona," she announced.

"What?" he asked, leaning back a bit.

"Well, I told you I got into school there, and I accepted the invitation," she explained, her hands gliding down his neck and resting on his chest. Excitement buzzed through her, everything was falling into place.

"Wow, Elena, that's… That's amazing," he said, his eyes dimming and his smile no longer seeming genuine. "I'm… I'm really happy for you."

This time, she smiled even bigger. Her hands curled into his shoulders, making sure he couldn't try to back away any further.

"Come with me," she whispered passionately, imagining the life they could have together in Arizona. In a new state, a new place that didn't hold any bad memories, just a future full of good ones.

The longer Damon said nothing, the more her smile faded and her nerves grew. She'd never taken into account that he might not want to go with her.

"I know you have a life here now," she said quickly, removing her hands from his skin and backing away. "And friends and school and Stefan, but…"

"Elena," he interrupted, his hands digging into her hips to hold her in place. "You are my life. I want to be where you are."

Overcome with joy, she pulled Damon into her, wrapping her legs around his waist as he lifted her feet off the ground.

Her heart filled almost to bursting as she held the man who'd seen the real Elena since the moment their eyes had first met. In the man who loved her enough to let her go, who knew that she needed to grow on her own, to save her herself. No longer held back by fear, self-loathing, or addictions, she was free. Free to love the man in her arms. Free to live her life, make mistakes and survive. Free to run when it was all a little more than she could handle. Free to smile, free to love, free to look forward to a future that held no pain.

Only love.

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**That's it. That's the end of To Save a Sinner. But never fear, this story was written with the knowledge that there would be a sequel, in fact, I wrote their outlines at the same time. **

**Since you all have been such amazing readers, I'm going to give you a little gift... :D I know I've been hinting at a new fic about Damon being a rocker and I'm happy to tell you it's going to start posting next weekend! BUT I have a little sneak peek for you guys for being so awesome. Here's a snippet of the first chapter of Rock Hard, Love Harder. Enjoy!**

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"Checking in, please," I tell the lady behind the counter. I am so ready to get these boys into their rooms and get my ass to bed. I've been dead on my feet for the past twenty-four hours. My body is shutting down, and I am thankful Phoenix is one of the last stops on our tour. We've been on the road for almost three months now, and I am so looking forward to escaping to the after-tour vacation home the band has rented.

My brother's band, The Mystic Republic - a homage to our hometown of Mystic Falls, Virginia - hit it big a few years back when I was still in high school. Since then, they've recorded three more albums and won five Grammy Awards.

My guys hold a special place in my heart, world-famous rock stars or not. They all stepped in to raise me when my and Jeremy's parents suddenly passed away six years ago. At twenty years old, my brother made no complaints and asked no questions; he and the rest of the band flew home from their first world tour to take me in. I finished high school online while I traveled with them, and now, at age twenty-two, I am their unofficial band manager.

"What's the name?" the woman behind the hotel reception desk asks, looking bored.

"Gilbert. Elena Gilbert," I reply, glancing around the lobby. It is significantly less upscale than most of the hotels we've stayed at, but it's clean and so far I haven't spotted a single photographer or crazed fan girl. Thank God for small miracles.

"Five rooms, all on the fourth floor. You can use the elevator to your right," the woman says, sliding the key cards in individual paper slips with the room numbers handwritten on them across the counter top. I thank her and trudge back out into the parking lot and onto our tour bus.

"You have a radio interview tomorrow morning. The car will be here at 6 a.m. so no funny business tonight," I explain to the boys, eyeing each of them as they file past me, taking a key card and biding me goodnight. They are such large men, all of them tall and muscled. They look like typical rockers, each sporting some sort of piercing, tattoo, or both, but I know they are all big softies at heart. Jeremy drops a kiss on my hair, the ring in his eyebrow reflecting the low lighting on the bus. Matt Donovan, my childhood best friend and the newest member of the band, having joined as their drummer after graduation four years ago, gives me a hug, and Stefan Salvatore, our bassist, ruffles my hair and gives me a sweet smile. Stefan, while the largest of the four, has to be the least intimidating. His green eyes dance with innocence and he spends way too much time coiffing his hair to be taken seriously. I watch Stefan trot down the tour bus stairs before stepping out of the doorway and back into the common room, falling gracelessly onto the couch. My head feels like it is going to implode and just thinking about the trek to my fourth floor room with my bag dragging behind me is painful.

"You okay?"

I jump at the sound of his voice. I'd figured he was already off the bus and searching for the nearest bar by now. Instead, Damon Salvatore, Stefan's older brother and the love of my life, is leaning in the doorway to the back bedroom. The man is a god in a mortal world. His porcelain skin is perfect despite the ink I can see peeking out of the collar of his T-shirt, his blue eyes shine bright against the dark frame of his eyelashes and his perfectly imperfect midnight hair falls carelessly across his forehead.

This is the first time in two days he's spoken to me.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I murmur once I recover from my shock. I toss him his key and stand to grab my bag.

He looks like he wants to say more, but simply nods and watches me exit the bus. I know because I can feel his gaze burning holes into my back. To say things between us have been strained would be an immense understatement, but it's the last thing I want to get into tonight. All I want right now is a bed, a real bed that isn't attached to a moving vehicle. That sounds heavenly.

The moment my head hits the pillow there is a pounding at my door. I groan and crack open my eyes, squinting at the bright sunlight streaming in through the window.

_Damn, it is morning already? _

My name now accompanies the pounding, and I roll out of bed, fighting waves of nausea and dizziness with each step.

"What?" I bark as I swing the door open, revealing Stefan waiting in the hallway, dressed in jeans and a band t-shirt, hair perfectly coiffed and ready to go someplace I can't seem to remember at the moment.

"It's 5:45 a.m. We're supposed to be in the car at six and you look like shit," he says, eyeing me with concern.

"Thanks, asshole," I mutter before turning back to my room, leaving the door open for him to follow me in if he wants to.

"Are you okay, Laney?" he asks seriously, hot on my heels. Anytime they use my childhood nickname, I know they aren't messing around. "You're always so on top of this stuff."

"I'm sorry, Stef," I say while digging through my bag for a fresh change of clothes. "I guess I'm just burnt out."

Stefan opens his mouth to reply as I stand up straight, but I cut him off with a hand to his chest, steadying myself as a wave of nausea hits me hard and then sends me bolting past him to the bathroom so I can heave my guts into the toilet. Having dealt with plenty of puking people, Stefan reacts quickly, following me into the bathroom and pulling my hair out of my face. Once my stomach is empty, I slump onto my ass on the cold tile, and it feels so good that I decide to lie the rest of the way down and press my cheek against it. Germs be damned.

Stefan wets a washcloth and carefully wipes my face. "What's going on, Elena?" he asks softly.

"Please don't tell the other guys about this," I croak, taking the cloth from his hand and slowly rising to my feet. Stefan watches me the entire time with his arms outstretched like he is waiting for me to collapse into a heap on the floor.

"Elena," he warns, but I hold up my hand, not wanting to hear any more from him.

"I'm fine, Stefan. Like I said before, just burnt out from traveling. I'll be down in ten minutes," I tell him, trying my best to act like I have it together. He seems mollified and makes a quick exit, leaving me to take the world's fastest shower, brush my teeth, dress and call down to the front desk to check out. True to my word, I am downstairs in exactly ten minutes.

The boys are all gathered around the car signing autographs for the few dedicated fans who showed up at the crack of down. I load my bags back onto the bus, which will meet us later at the arena.

"Sorry, guys. I dropped the ball this morning," I apologize as I join them by the car.

Matt shrugs before tugging me into his side. "It's okay, Laney. You work too hard anyways. You deserve to sleep in one day. My God, you are burning up!"

I try to pull away, but it only makes him fuss over me more. Shit, this is not my morning.

"I'm fine, Matty. I'll take something for it, okay?" I say in a low voice, praying he'll just let it go before the rest of them notice. I hate when one of them goes mother hen on me, because when one goes, they all go.

Thankfully, Matt, like Stefan, is easily satisfied, but I'll have to do a better job of keeping my shit together. If Damon or Jeremy suspects anything, they will see right through my excuses. So I gird my loins, so to speak, and corral the boys into the waiting car before jumping into the passenger seat.

The day drags at a glacial pace. I often find myself asking what I've done wrong to deserve feeling this shitty. We go from interview to interview and then straight to the Arena for sound check. I've puked twice without anyone noticing and that alone gives me the strength to see this day through. After tonight, I can sleep until our show in Vegas two days from now. A small coma sounds really good right about now.

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**I appreciate each and everyone of you so much. Thank you for all your support and love and sweet words. You are what keeps me writing. Thank you, thank you, thank you!**

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